Ohio Trip - Part 2

(continued)

Day 3 - Friday, July 13th

In the morning, my parents took us to the Farmpark, one of the Cleveland area Lake Metroparks that happens to be located right in Kirtland. We all tried our hand at milking a cow and grooming a horse........ petting sheep and piglets........watching a border collie herd sheep, marveling at llamas and alpacas, and learning about bees, plants, and gardening.

After lunch, my parents were off to their afternoon assignment giving tours of Historic Kirtland, so we took the opportunity to enjoy a "VIP" tour of the Visitors' Center.........Newel K. Whitney Store and home, the sawmill and ashery, and the schoolhouse. We also met a lot of other missionaries who confirmed my suspicions that my mom and dad are well-loved by all of them.
We also viewed the Mormon Tabernacle Choir Exhibit in the visitors' center, which was quite impressive. After the tour, we all (even me and Jay) tried out the tree swing out back.
Since my parents had to work through dinner, and the kids were hungry (and Jay wanted pizza), we took off in my parents' car with their Garmin nuvi (nicknamed "Helga")... the coolest gadget in the world.... to find some decent pizza. (Without it, we would have gone insane trying to find our way around. But with it, we could head off on our own and we never got lost. We gotta get one of those.)

After dinner we attended a performance at the stake center of "This is Kirtland," a musical written, directed, and performed by members of the Kirtland Stake. I was expecting "stake road show" entertainment, but was blown away by how professional it was, from the singing and dancing, to the costumes and set. It was really fun, and the kids loved it too.

Afterward, we went out for ice cream at the local joint. While we ate our ice cream on the lawn, a teenager mentioned to her friend that it was Friday the 13th, and I thought what a perfect day it had been.

Do-oh!

I cracked up when Jay showed me his Simpson's avatar. Those of you who know Jay will agree it's "right on." I couldn't resist created my own, which isn't as good as Jay's, but oh well. Actually, I wish I were this skinny in real life.....

Try it for yourself.

Ohio Trip - Part 1

Well, I'm back, and getting back into the swing of things. We had a wonderful trip, and I can't wait to tell you all about it. But I will have to do it in parts, because there is a lot to tell! Everything was perfect, including the weather (mid-70's and clear skies the whole week), and we all had a great time. Grandpa and Grandma were the perfect hosts (of course), and we were all so glad to see them and spend time with them.

Day 1 - Wednesday, July 11th
The kids were absolutely thrilled to take their first airplane ride. They were very anxious to board the plane (thank goodness for pre-boarding for those with young children) with their backpacks full of snacks and activities to keep them occupied on the nearly 4 hour flight from Phoenix to Cleveland. The 3 kids sat in their own row, while Jay and I sat across the aisle. They starting giggling when the plane began to taxi down the runway, which led to hysterical laughter when it started to pick up speed, and increased as we lifted off the ground. They finally settled down when we reached cruising altitude. The passengers around us were all quite amused (thankfully). The kids were super well-behaved on the flight, and lots of people commented afterward at how impressed they were, since it was obviously their first flight.

My parents picked us up at the airport, and since the next day was their P-Day, instead of returning to their house in Kirtland, they took us on a lovely drive through Holmes County to "Dutch Amish Country," stopping for dinner along the way. We checked-in to the Dutch Host Inn in Dover, Ohio where we spent the night. We explored the lovely grounds, and as evening came the kids were delighted to have their first experience with fire flies!
My mom also caught a small toad for them to hold, which my city-raised kids thought was very funny... and a little scary. It all brought back wonderful memories of my days in Nauvoo, Illinois. It's a magical world when the sun goes down.

Day 2 - Thursday, July 12th
The next morning we visited the Warther Museum there in Dover, which was fascinating! I had no interest in wood carving or trains before we went, but I was absolutely enthralled the whole time. The kids really enjoyed it too.
The grounds were lovely, and we found the old play house hidden in the hill that "Mooney" Warther made for his children. He was a fascinating man! We bought a little replica (made by his grandson in the family owned and operated business) of the wood pliers that Warther first whittled, and a little Christmas ornament to remember our trip.Then we drove through Amish Country to Guggisberg Cheese in Millersburg where we watched them make cheese and sampled some of their delicious cheeses, including their famous original baby swiss, which is wonderful. I bought this wonderful cheese planer that my mom said was excellent, and it is.
We continued through the countryside, marveling at all the Amish along the way (especially the cute children), and their quaint clothes and method of travel. (Though it would be hard to give up a lot of our modern conveniences, I can't help envying them their simpler life... especially not feeling tied to a computer. I had to read 61 emails... and reply to most of them.... when I got home. Arghh!)

Then we made our way to Lehman's in Kidron, a sort of Amish department store, where we looked at the amazing variety of products while sipping old fashioned sodas. I couldn't resist buying these darling cookie cutters... for only 69 cents each! (2nd from bottom on left is Arizona)
Then we made our way to beautiful Kirtland, Ohio to my parents' cute little 100 year old house just a few yards away from the Kirtland Temple. We settled in and then sat down to a delicious dinner that my mom threw together in just a few minutes, out of practically nothing. (I don't know how she does it.) They have a large yard surrounded by trees and a gully where the kids had a great time playing. I fell in love with the area, and I would move there in a heart beat if Jay had a job there.... and if we could live in the gorgeous nearby neighborhood of Waite Hill. (There's the catch.) But I think I would hate it there in the winter. Maybe just a summer home......

I'll be back with more tomorrow.... and the day after.

I'm on vacation.....

.... and I will be back with (hopefully) lots to blog about on July 18th.

In the meantime, read some of the blogs found through the links on the right.

What did you say?

Last week, I was in Wal-Mart with Jack. Someone nearby said something to their shopping companion in Spanish. Jack's eyes widened, and he said, "Mommy, why are they talking Spanish?" I suppressed a laugh and tried to think of an appropriate answer for a 3-year-old. Finally, I said, "Well, because that's the way they talk."

Then it occurred to me to be surprised that my 3-year-old understood that our fellow Wal-Mart patrons were speaking a foreign language, let alone knowing that it was Spanish (for indeed it was).

Before Jack could ask more questions (I knew he wouldn't be satisfied with my rather lame response) I asked him, "Jack, how did you know they were speaking Spanish?" He just shrugged and said, "I just do." (I suspect he knew I wouldn't be satisfied with his response.)

Then I asked, "Jack, do you speak Spanish?" He looked at me like I was crazy, and said (with obvious disgust in his voice), "No, mommy." (Duh.) So, I asked, "What language do you speak?" Another shrug.... "I just talk like Jack!" Oh. OK.

So, he knows Spanish when he hears is, but doesn't know what English is. A few days later, when he heard some people speaking in a thick Scottish brogue, Jack giggled, and announced, "Mommy, they are talking Spanish!" Not so smart, are you Jack?

But then again, it did sort of sound like Spanish.....

The Fix-it Man

Jay is very good at fixing things. If he can't fix it, he can usually "rig" it somehow. Back in the days when he used to ride the city bus to work, a bus load of cranky commuters were going to be forced to sit and wait for a replacement bus because the escape hatch on the roof had come open (apparently the latch had broken). Everyone was very grumpy and just wanted to get home. Jay didn't just sit there. He got a paper clip, climbed up on the seat, and "wired" the door shut. Everyone cheered, and the bus driver shrugged and said, "Good enough for me. Let's go!"

Yes, Jay's handy-man skills are a blessing.... most of the time. Our 10-year old oven broke this week (see previous post), and it looked like we would have to get a new oven. I was secretly pleased (no, I did NOT break it myself) and was dreaming of a sleek new appliance, when Jay said, "Ha. I can fix that." Oh shoot.

Sure enough, we ordered the necessary part, and it was delivered to our door within a few days. Darn. Now it's installed and working just fine. It will probably last us another 10 years. Oh well.

Now, what should I make for dinner tonight?

What to make for dinner....

.... when your oven and stove are out-of-order..... or you just want to avoid heating up your kitchen on a hot summer day.

On Sunday evening, I pulled dinner from the oven and noticed a small fire inside. I wasn't worried, but I was on the phone, so I put Jay to work on it. He doused it with baking soda. Nothing. It just kept going. So, we figured it would burn itself out eventually, and closed the door. About 30 minutes later, it was still burning, and the element broke. Jay finally turned off the breaker, and I've been left without stove or oven since then.

So, the next day (Monday) I made for dinner....

GRILLED PIZZA
Your favorite pizza dough
Your favorite pizza sauce
Your favorite pizza toppings
One hot grill
Pizza peel (or cookie sheet with no lip/edges)

Heat grill on medium. If you don't have an upper rack, turn the flame completely off on one side. Generously dust pizza peel with cornmeal. Roll or stretch dough (no larger than the space you have on the grill) and place on peel. Add sauce and toppings. Slide pizza off peel onto upper rack of grill (or the side without a flame); turn flame to just above low. (If you've never grilled pizza, this will take some trial and error.... every grill is different.) Close cover and cook about 5 minutes (again, every grill is different, so you just have to check).
[*You need the peel to remove the pizza from the grill, so if you want to put another pizza on after the first one finished cooking, you need either 2 peels, 2 cookie sheets (with no edge), or (like me) 1 peel and 1 cookie sheet. That way you can prepare a second pizza while the first one is cooking.]

Serve with your favorite SALAD.


On Tuesday, I grilled hamburgers (and for myself, a Gardenburger), and served them with... you guessed it, salad.

On Wednesday, I didn't have to cook (here's why), and tonight I made....

AUNT LIZZIE'S PANINIS
Herb Foccacia
Peppered Turkey breast
Havarti cheese
Apple, peeled and thinly sliced

Slice bread horizontally. Put a slice of cheese on each half; add slices of apple and turkey in the middle. Cook in panini press or contact grill (I love mine) about 2 minutes on medium heat.

Happy Independence Day!

We enjoyed our traditional neighborhood breakfast (pancakes, bacon, sausage, fruit, danishes, muffins, milk and orange juice), flag ceremony, and kids' parade, followed by shaved iced.... a necessity at that point.


Jack and Mary were pleased to decorate their bikes and ride in the (thankfully, very short) parade.


Collin missed it this year because he is spending the (entire!) week with his cousins at our family cabin. It's been strange having him gone, and we miss him. I hear he has been a little homesick. We will be glad to have him back on Saturday.

After the parade, we chilled out for a while, ate lunch, took naps (a must for the kids since we knew it would be a very late night), and then joined the Thomases for swimming, and a delicious meal of grilled chicken, hot dogs, fruit (watermelon, cantaloupe, cherries, strawberries, and grapes), "Cowboy Caviar," chips, homemade rootbeer, Izze, and frosted sugar cookies. We had to leave before tasting the cheesecake (decorated in "stars and stripes") in order to meet up with Jay's family for Icees, salt water taffy, and fireworks.

Good grief. I ate a lot of food yesterday. But I did NOT eat cheesecake.

Summer Salad Salute

I like to eat salads..... just about any kind. I think a lot of men don't like salad, but Jay does, thank goodness. However, I didn't like salad when I was a kid, and I never thought I would be able to get my kids to eat it without an excessive amount of whining, complaining, pleading, forcing, gagging, and frustration. And since my children willingly eat all kinds of vegetables, I didn't bother preparing salads for my family. But I missed eat them. (Salads, I mean.)

Then one day (about 2 years ago) I learned that my friend's 3 young boys all eat salad. I felt guilty for never even trying. So, I started with just a few leaves of lettuce with my homemade dressing. I served it on a salad plate by itself, before the main course, so the kids were required to eat it before they would be served anything else. It was only 3 small pieces of lettuce, so it was really no big deal. The first time was a little scary for them, but they did well.

After a couple of weeks of eating their miniature "salad" for dinner every day, I increased the amount of lettuce and added other things.... spinach, tomatoes, cucumbers, olives, and croutons. The olives and croutons were easy.... they already liked those. The spinach was new, but they took to it right away. The tomatoes took a little longer, but we got there. The cucumbers were the hardest. I only have one who still complains about the cucumbers, though he eats them because he knows mom won't give in.

Within a few months, all three kids were eating a good-sized portion of salad, right on their plate with everything else. I only have to remind them to eat their salad first, and they do. It's been a more than a year now, and they all eat it willingly... sometimes they even ask for more! And it has made them more adventurous and willing to try new things.

The key is to find dressing that they like. Here is my kids' favorite.

CREAMY GARLIC VINAIGRETTE
1 c. canola oil
1/4 c. red wine vinegar
1/4 c. sour cream
1 1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. dry mustard
2 T. sugar
2 tsp. dry parsley flakes
2 large cloves garlic, crushed
Course ground pepper, to taste

Combine and whisk until smooth. [This is also great for pasta salad.]


And some of our favorite salads.

GREEK SALAD
Red leafy lettuce
Spinach
Tomatoes
Cucumber
Black olives
Red onion
Croutons (or chunks of crusty bread)
Creamy Garlic Vinaigrette

DIANE'S PASTA SALAD
Bowtie or Penne Pasta
Snow Peas (in the pod, or just frozen peas)
Carrots, julienned
Black Olives
Sliced grilled chicken
Fresh grated parmesan cheese
Creamy Garlic Vinaigrette

EILEEN'S ASIAN SALAD
Red or green leafy lettuce (a mix is good)
Green onions
Cucumber
Red onion
Mushrooms
Sliced almonds
Chow Mein noodles
Slices of grilled chicken (optional)
Red Wine Vinaigrette

RED WINE VINAIGRETTE
4 T. sugar
2 tsp. salt
2 tsp. pepper
1/4 c. olive oil
6 T. red wine vinegar
1-2 T. lemon juice

DARIN'S SUMMER SALAD
Leafy lettuce
Spinach
Red Onion
Oranges, peeled and sliced
Strawberries, sliced
Candied Almonds or Pecans
Poppy Seed Dressing

POPPY SEED DRESSING
1/3 c. apple cider vinegar
3/4 c. canola oil
3/4 T. poppy seeds
1/3 tsp. dry mustard
1/3 c. sugar
3/4 T. salt

Mix in blender.

CANDIED NUTS
1/2 c. sugar
1 c. almonds (sliced) or pecans (whole or pieces)
Put sugar in a small sauce pan over medium heat. Stir constantly until sugar starts to melt. Add nuts and continuing stirring until sugar turns translucent and coats nuts. Spread on cookie sheet to cool.

My kids also like Ceasar Salad, but that hardly counts. I don't make my own dressing; I buy Cardini's. (Romaine, croutons, fresh grated parmesan, and dressing)

I got that song stuck in my head......

So, I'm at the check-out at Sam's Club this morning, patiently waiting for the cashier. Suddenly, without warning, Mary breaks into a (rather loud) rendition of "Don't Go Breaking My Heart."

[No, she's not an Elton John fan, but she has seen "Chicken Little" many times. A version of the song is featured during the End Credits.]

I was a little surprised that she knew it so well... all the lyrics too. She is quite a singer.

The cashier didn't seem at all surprised. She just smiled politely.

In the car on the way home, Jack broke into his familiar rendition of "One Little Slip," a song written for the film. It's one of my kids' favorites. It is quite catchy.

Show Stoppers

Well, June flew by much too quickly. For the last 2 weeks, Collin and Mary were involved in a Musical Theatre workshop through Mesa Community College. Their performance was last night at the Theatre Outback. They had a great time, and did a good job in their performance. They both had short solos, and sang really well. The whole show was great, and was really funny. The directors do a terrific job! Collin and Mary also had 4 of their cousins in the workshop, and 2 of their neighborhood friends. Grandpa and Grandma came to the performance as well.

3 Little Fishes

After just a few days of swimming in our new pool, Jack has gained so much confidence! He is swimming all over the place like a little fish. Just a few weeks ago he was begging me not to make him go to swim lessons, and would cling to me with a death grip. Now he jumps in and just swims.... quite well, I must say. He can keep up with the big kids most of the time.
Jack likes to put on his goggles and say, "Mommy, I'm a scuba diver," and then he fetches things from the bottom of the pool, namely these. It cracks me up because he can't seem to remember what they are called.... he usually refers to them as "tortillas" or "mosquitoes." But I know what he's talking about. Mom's know these things.
Jack will surely be delighted with the pool for several more years at least.... probably longer than the pool will last. And Mary too. She has become quite the fish as well. She is perfecting her stroke, learning to do underwater flips, and other tricks. She especially likes to do "Cannon Balls." Collin probably won't be satisfied with it a long as the younger kids, but for now he is thrilled. He thinks it's pretty cool to make a whirl-pool (you can't do that in those big pools with a deep end, so there!), and he keeps asking the other kids if they want to have a chicken fight. But none of them are big enough or strong enough to handle such a challenge. That's just fine with me. Collin definitely likes the "Toypedo" toys too. And he can actually pronounce the word.

(sigh)..... (sigh)..... (sigh).....

I have to admit, I'm a sucker for romantic dramas, but particularly those made by the BBC. Those Brits know how to do suppressed romantic attraction oh so very well. And Jane Austen novels are particularly well-suited for such.

I have watched this series over and over, and I'm as delighted each time as if it were the first. It's quite the ultimate, and my absolute favorite. (sigh) And, of course, the novel is one of my all-time favorite books. (I was a bit disappointed with the recent film version. It just can't compare to the mini-series.)

I also adored "Sense and Sensibility".... the 1995 film is wonderful, but the book is fantastic! Another Jane Austen-put-to-film-favorite of mine is Persuasion. Emma was, of course, delightful, but Mansfield Park was just OK.

But last night I watched this, and I must say Elizabeth Gaskell's novel could give ol' Jane a run for her money in the repressed attraction department. I quite enjoyed it, and heartily recommend it, though I think nothing will ever take the place of "Pride and Prejudice" in my sappy, romantic heart. (sigh)

And as for leading men, no one can hold a candle to Colin Firth. (sigh, sigh, sigh) I think I would watch him in just about anything, but here are a few I can recommend. (I tried to put these in order, but I couldn't.... they are all excellent. However, Pride and Prejudice is definitely #1.) So, go rent one today.

Pride and Prejudice (did I mention I love this?)
The Importance of Being Earnest
Bridget Jones's Diary*
Love Actually*
Nanny McPhee
A Month in the Country

*I can only recommend these if they are the edited versions that I saw.

"You too can be young and attractive in less than 4 feet of water"

Don't the people in this photo look like they are having so much fun? We thought so. Then we asked ourselves, "Is it possible we could have that much fun in it?" The answer is "yes!"

Please understand, it gets really hot where we live. I mean stinking hot. Basically, you can't go outside unless it's to go from your air-conditioned house, to your air-conditioned car, to the air-conditioned store, etc. From October to May, my kids play happily outdoors.... so content and getting along so well. Come June, when it's too hot to play outside, they drive each other crazy (and me) with the teasing, fighting, pestering, etc. We go stir crazy staying inside, and there is a limit to the amount of time you can spend hanging out in the nice, cool library or mall without going insane. So, if you want to survive, either your kids watch a lot of TV and DVD's, or you hang out in the pool.

I truly despise public pools. We have nice ones all over the place, with fun water slides and everything. But you have to actually GO there, and hang out there, with the other poor people who don' t have their own swimming pool. Ugh.

My in-laws used to have a large, beautiful pool, which they never used (and they were rarely at home). Since they lived only 2 miles from us, it was perfect... we could go any time without bothering anyone. It was lovely.

Then, they moved.... to a new house, further away, sans pool. Uh oh. Don't get me wrong. There are plenty of kind people who offer to have us over to swim. They say, "You can come swim at our house any time!" I really appreciate it, but in reality, it doesn't happen very often. People who have their own pool hop into it whenever they fancy. Do they really expect us to do the same? I don't think so.

We barely survived last summer with a handful of invitations. I knew I couldn't take another summer like that one. I was feeling desperate to have our own swimming pool, and yet by no means do I want to spend 10's of thousands of dollars and give up half my yard (which we use 9 months out of the year), and redo the landscaping after the construction crew destroys it, for something we will use 3-4 months out of the year.

Then Jay suggested the unthinkable.... the "above-ground pool." I know, I know.... in other parts of the country they are quite common. But not here. I always thought it was weird and kind of "white trash."

But now I'm quite convinced this is the way to go. For $200 (thank you Wal-Mart) we got a 16 foot round pool, with a ladder, pump with filter, leaf/debris skimmer and vacuum, and cover. It was a cinch to set up. We filled it with water, added some chlorine, and we had a blast in it yesterday! My kids are absolutely beside themselves with joy. And I am so relieved.

The best part is, in a couple of months, we can pack it up and put it in the shed, and reclaim our yard for another lovely AZ winter. Perfect.

So, all you poor souls who don't have a swimming pool at your house, you are welcome to come swim in ours anytime. And if that isn't convenient for you, and you have $200 to spare, stop by your local Super Wal-Mart and pick up one of these.

Fat Superhero

I just had to post this photo, because it's one of the funniest I have seen in a while. Here is my fat nephew, Super Nicholas.

His mom is pretty super too... but she's not fat.