Busy Day

• Christine left for Girls Camp. She was a little nervous. Last year it was a ward camp for her first year so this is her first stake camp. By the time we picked up Amanda and got to the church, she was fine. Running around seeing all her friends and the girls she knows from other wards.


• Visiting teaching. Since I was already at the church, I went to the clerk's office and worked for over 2 hours updating the districts and companionships. Everything has to be done now on the church MLS system. The computers are a lot slower than I am used to at home, and the programs are different, so I'm learning a lot. I talk to myself as I'm going through things so it's good I'm by myself there!


• Final dress fitting for Natalie this afternoon! She looks beautiful. 3 1/2 more weeks. Wow!


• Laundry. 'nuff said!


• Natalie and Robert's night for dinner. We had eggs, hashbrowns, bacon, juice. They did a good job.


• Meredith took her little brother and Kylie to the beach today. It felt good to have a relaxing day off. She is a beach girl at heart! She is going to teach Christine to surf this summer.


• More vting. Have to get this done asap because the end of the week is FULL!

Here We Are Together, Together, Together.....

No meetings for Duff (Pres. is in Russia on business), so we got to sleep in a bit. Put the roast in the oven, got ready and we were out the door.

Meredith got here around 11:30am. She 'flew' across the deseret to get here to her Josh! So he met her at her parents Sacrament Mtg. which meets after ours, and then they came home. They got all her stuff unloaded and moved in. She was 'quick' getting it all put away and settled.

We are all here together now for the summer! It is fun to have everyone here. Mike and Adrianne are just 'down the street' so to speak, so we are enjoying this. Before we know it, the end of summer will be here and everyone will be off back to school.

Dinner was yummy as pot roasts are on a Sunday! Christine made brownines, and Nats showed Mere all the shower gifts. Chris got packed for camp in the morning and we hung out and then watched the Bourne Supremacy. I love the Bourne movies!

Big week this week. Here we go!

Here Comes Princess Fiona!

Christine leaves for Girls Camp on Monday. Our ward's color this year is green (Knowledge), and it is all about Princesses. So our ward chose Princess Fiona from Shrek.

I've been busy sewing this afternoon. In a perfect world I would have had these done a long time ago, but I've kind of been busy with a BIG EVENT that's coming up soon! Here are her pajama pants, headband, and fleece blanket.
The girls were just supposed to fringe and tie the blanket, but Christine and I got creative and cut out some of the flowers from the leftover p.j. fabric and made a design on opposite corners.

I sewed across each of the petals so on the back they look like snowflake/stars. She'll certainly be able to pick out hers from the other girls! I also put a cute tag on the inside of her pj's. It turned out pretty cute. I can hardly believe this is her 2nd Girls Camp. She's quickly growing up right before my eyes!

Un-mention-ables....

Shhhhhhh.......

This morning Natalie and I took off for the mall on a 'mission'. She needed to find the right kind of b-ra to go with her wedding dress, and it's been a 'while' since I've invested in one as well. We headed off to the department store.

I have never in my life before asked to be 'fitted'. Well, today we did and I'm hear to say: what in the world took me so long!?!? It was the BEST experience. The clerk knew EXACTLY what she was doing and Natalie and I walked out amazed and very 'comfy'.

Seriously, I will always take advantage of this service now. Who knew?

Then we hit the shoe store and got some new walking shoes. A year ago my plantar faceitis was really bad, and the shoes I got with the added arch support did the trick, so it was time for a new pair, and Nats needed a pair before she gets married.

Next stop, MAC, for some shadow and blush.

Home and clean out the small garage to get ready for florals but also because I desperately needed a place to put wedding items. Mother Hubbard's House it FULL. There is no room in ANY closet this summer with everyone home, so the bridesmaids, flower girl, and bridal accessories are hanging on a garment rack all covered in there!

SHOWER CRASHER!

Who can resist this face????

Forgot to mention:

Last night during the bridal shower, our front door got opened and Darla ran as fast as her little legs could carry her down the driveway, left turn at the sidewalk and another left into the neighbors drive and straight through their front door that was cocked open and found me right away.

Christine took her home.

About 10 minutes later, she came running through the door again! That little stinker! She just didn't want to be left out of our girlie night! I picked her up and she turned around in my arms, settled right down and thought she was staying. We are more and more convinced that she doesn't know she is a d-o-g.

Christine took her home, again, and this time the guys made sure the door was closed!

Bridal Shower #1

Tonight was the ward bridal shower for Natalie. What a wonderful evening. Cindy, Leslie, Brenda, and Donna hosted the shower and it was next door at Cindy's. That made it really convenient for US, huh! It was so fun to visit with everyone that it ended up being impossible to get pictures of everyone and everything, but here is a pretty good summary.


When you walked in, she had the living room 'roped off' with pink ribbon which led everyone down the hall, through the family room/kitchen and outside to the patio on an absolutely gorgeous night. The table was decked out with vegetable trays and darling, delicious teeny fruit kebobs of a pineapple wedge and a strawberry on a feathered toothpick on a beautiful platter. Pink and green M&M's, dove chocolates. A 'gathering game' was set up as well. Pictures of bridal gowns with the faces of the brides cut out and replaced with celebrities faces. We had a card to write the answers on. Lots of fun. Sally H. and Nicolle were the winners.

Natalie and Christine, the Bride and Maid of Honor!

One of the groups of guests working hard on figuring out who was who on the celebrity bride game. Check out the streamers hanging down!

Now this next part is WAY unique and FUN. Cindy S. took pink and green (Natalie's colors for the wedding) satin ribbons and hung them from the patio cover over the table. To weight them at the ends, she tied metal cookie cutters and glass pink and green votive lanterns with battery tealight candles in them. They gently swayed in the evening breeze and those were her gifts to Nats. How cute is that?!

There were about 50+ people there. Such a tribute to Natalie! Everyone was invited into the house and sat down. Things were a-buzz. They asked Natalie to leave the room, and then had the guests write down all the details about her--what she was wearing, coloring, features, accessories, etc. It was hilarious when she came back in and they were comparing answers to facts! The Peterson family won that game. Of course--they are 'family' after all. (Meredith's)

The living room bedecked with well wishes and love!

Notice above the large framed piece--it is from Adrianne and her family. They are very talented artsy wise and it is a custom made Proclamation on The Family done by her brother, Aaron, that goes horizontally with their picture. Most Proclamations are vertical. The picture can be changed as their family grows. Josh and Mere have one and so do Mike and Adrianne.

Now time to open the gifts. But they changed that up as well. Showers of any kind in our ward are big social events--everyone likes to see each other and visit. That is a GREAT thing--we like and love each other. However, sometimes that means that the guest of honor is 'lost' in the socializing during the gift opening. Not tonight!

Leslie began the gift portion with a brief history of Natalie's childhood. Then on random presents were a pink square with a number on it. Whoever's gift had the number was to read a short paragraph about Natalie and little details about her life. It was really cute. We had some pretty good laughs.

Theresa Burton and Sally Harrick in front of this group.

Adrianne with Apryl, her sister, who is down from Reno on the front row. Mere's family a couple rows back.

This gift was a hit with most everyone. I got Natalie an under-the-bed box and filled it with rolls of wrapping paper, gift bags, tags, ribbons, scissors, tape, tissue paper, etc. I still remember when I was a newlywed and went to wrap my first gift to give--I had nothing! and it is so dang expensive to go buy, right? It was also filled with a box of those handmade cards from Costco. We all had a good conversation about that one!

Bedding!

Gift from Nic. Cookie sheets, turner, and cooling racks. Nic is a GREAT cookie baker so it was appropriately fitting!

Lots of wonderful presents for a couple to begin their life together. This being our third wedding in a years time, I am again VERY touched at the generosity of our friends and family in ALL ways, most importantly their love and support.

Natalie and Nicolle

Kimmie, Stacy, Nats, and Stephanie--friends for a LONG time!

Debbie, Natalie, Kelse, Sally P. and Allyson

Kennedy, Laurie, Kathleen, Allison, and Breana

Allison, Brenda, Kim K., and Donna

Sharon and Amber, some of our neighbors for like EVER!

The Peterson Gals: Patti, Megan, Natalie, Katherine, and Christine

More neighbors, Cathy and Heather Hall, and Allison

The Hostesses with the Mostesses!

Brenda, Cindy, Donna, Natalie, and Leslie.

What a LOVELY evening. THANK YOU dear friends.

Lisa and my mom wished they could be here tonight, but they sent gifts and I intercepted them and took them next door. Natalie was surprised to find that Grandma sent her 4 place-settings of her good silverware, and Auntie sent her the china platter and pitcher along with ALL of her everyday dinner plates! So they were there in spirit!

We had a delicious 'pink' frappe for dessert. It is raspberry sherbet softened and then stirred with 7-up. You serve it in cups with a piroutte cookie. You eat it with a spoon because it is so thick. It was VERY refreshing. Wendy C. brought some darling decorated cupcakes on a cute stand that was next to the water jug filled with limes. Lots of pink and green going on!

What A Combo!

We have wedding, Girls Camp, and visiting teaching going on. It is quite the combination! I have been running errands all day. It is nice to cross things off the list, but it's all been fun to get things ready!

Christine leaves for YW camp on Monday. We have pajama pants and a fleece blanket to finish still. My plan is to do that on Friday.

Had a quick run through at Costco this afternoon. It always feels good to get in and out of there in a timely manner. Otherwise one can spend a bit too much!

Thank You notes and postage for them. When did postage go up again??? I missed that one! It will be so much easier for Nats if she writes them as she gets them. Not so overwhelming.

Josh was in charge of dinner tonight, and he brought home El Pollo Loco! It was tasty and let's face it--the clean up was a snap!

Happy Headache

I have such a headache today! I have been going since morning non-stop. Natalie and I headed out to get her ready for the temple next week. It took a lot longer than we had anticipated as the clerk who helped us thought it was important to take her time and make sure EVERY option and detail was not forgotten!

We walked in and guess who greeted us? Kenny Jenks who was there with his son who is leaving on a mission next week. Kenny and I grew up together and our parents are still friends today. So fun to visit and catch up. Coincidentally, his brother, Danny lives in the ward Robert grew up in and knows his parents and are coming to the open house in August! He called me last week when they got the invitation and we had a good catch up conversation too!

After we were done, we jumped in the car, back on the freeway, and headed to our last tasting for the reception menu. We barely made it in time for our appointment, and we were sooooo hungry. We decided on the chicken piccatta with the rice pilaf and garlic mashed potatoes for the sides.

An hour and a half later, we rushed back home to meet Elyse, who will be doing Natalie's hair. They were doing a trial run through for style and timing. Natalie has been pouring over magazines and internet sites for hairstyles. She has always wanted to wear it all up--so that is what they did. And it turned out G-O-R-G-E-O-U-S. With all her hair it will take 2 hours to do. All of my kids got their dad's hair--thick as a horse's tail! Lots and lots of it with tons of body, unlike me who has a medium amount that is 'fine' and needs lots of several different products to even keep a round brush straight style!!!

So now it's to the cupboard for some Tylenol for this very happy/good headache and then to the kitchen for dinner and a little relaxing.

Here We Go 'Round The Mulberry Bush...

...so early in the morning!

Pick up, laundry, tablecloths, get ready for the week ahead, sync up calendars and schedules, phone, phone, phone.

Finally reorganized all the wedding paperwork and planning into a binder with dividers instead of a manila envelope. Everything is now organized and in it's place and so much easier to find things and get to them. Why did it take me so long?

Monday is Natalie and Robert's day to choose, shop for, make dinner, and clean up. Tonight we had sausage spaghetti and french bread. Very good dinner! And so nice to not have to clean up. Josh informed us that we would be having El Pollo Loco on Wednesday and started taking everyone's order! Ha!

Mike came over and washed his car. Looks be-u-ti-ful! Robert got the old hammock frame taken apart, cut and in the recycle trash can. I soaked all the planters well. It is still warm, but much cooler than last week. Thank goodness.

Tomorrow is a busy day, so off to bed!

More Heat....

so dang HOT still!

Dinner in the oven, and off to church. Natalie had her interview with President Brennan this morning before meetings for her temple recommend. So that is complete. After Sacrament meeting I was asked to come into the Laurel class and share my feelings and bear my testimony about the righteous tradition of Relief Society.

I have a strong testimony of RS. I LOVE Relief Society. Even though I have spent most of my adult life in the YW and subsequently Primary, I have always felt connected with RS. I never feel left out when I serve in other organizations. It was fun to be in class with the Laurels. Such a good group of girls. We even had a treat after class!

Mike and Adrianne came up for dinner, and after we ate, we gathered in the family room for a family 'fireside' of sorts. Duff got some new directions in his presidency meetings today from Salt Lake and went over it with the family. He had printed off copies of the Proclamation on the Family for each of us. We each took a paragraph and read through it then had discussion. Then he gave assignments to everyone for a different section in a talk by Elder Bednar on marriage to study and report back on in 2 weeks.

California is having lots of controversy on the definition of marriage again. I remember walking and knocking during 2000 before the vote. Seems like we need to step it up even more this time.

Christine was off to a fireside where she had to bring refreshments and told me about them about an hour before she had to leave. Thank goodness I had some frozen cookies in the freezer from a school fundraiser! We popped those in the oven and she was good to go! I will for sure buy more next year just for things like this.

Saturday Heat and Beautiful Wedding

It is so dang HOT.

We don't want to do ANYTHING. Really, by 2pm everyone was still in pajamas and not doing much. Finally, Duff and I decided we needed to get a few things done in the backyard, so we ventured out. Trimmed the asparagus ferns, dumped 2 of the red geranium pots that after 10 years had finally bit the dust. Fertilized the rose bushes. Got everything watered WELL. By the time we got back in the house, we were drenched in perspiration! Even the dog, who is forever my shadow, wouldn't even stay outside!

We came in the house, cooled off, and then showered and got ready for Lyndi's reception. Oh, it was lovely, and so totally LeSueur! They had it at a vineyard/horse ranch in the canyon. We ate dinner under the shade of 4 HUGE oak trees that were planted in a circle. May and June outdoor weddings here are always a crap shoot with the weather. You can get June Gloom or heat and they definitely didn't need to bring in the heaters tonight! The setting sun added a golden glow over the setting as Lyndi and Ian went from table to table visiting with their guests.

The whole thing was classy, calm, and gorgeous. With their love of horses, this was the perfect place for the celebration. The arenas, the grass, the white fences against the brown of the dirt and gravel. Lovely, lovely.

Growing trend: no veil for the bride. Also, no videos, which I think I kind of liked. You know how most wedding receptions are full of energy--well this one was very relaxed. The food was really good too. We sat with the Mauss's and McDaniel's and Victoria and I were trying to figure out the seasoning on the potatoes and we will try and duplicate the green beans.

So happy for Lyndi. With so many weddings this season, it has been a delight to see everyone's style and personalities come out at the receptions. None have been the same. The next generation is taking their place in the world!

The Notebook

I have never seen the movie, The Notebook. It was on tv and Natalie tivoed it. We've been watching it over and over. NOW I know what everyone's been talking about. What a love story!

Back on track today. Took Christine to the dermotologist for a rash she has on her legs. It is some sort of thing related to the eczema family. So she has a prescription cream.

Hotter than HADES today. Over 100* and the weekend is supposed to be more of the same.

Picked up picture frames for some of the pictures we will be having on the guest book table and around the reception. They are pretty and totally Natalie and the 'look' of the reception. It was fun, although Christine had had it by the time we were done. We stopped on the way home from the doctor because it was so hot I didn't want to have to go out again if I could help it!

I have my clipboard with all the pages of each element. Gosh, we've gotten so much done, but there are still so many details to finish. One at a time, one at a time.....It's nice that Natalie's externship is over, because she can help me more now.

Meredith comes next week. It will be nice to have her here and those two back together! They are missing each other! Her last day of work was today and she leaves for Youth Conference on Wednesday. When that's finished, then she's here. It will go by in a blink.

Natalie and Robert are starting to get things on their registry. It is fun to watch them check it and get excited about starting their life. They are registered at Bed Bath and Beyond and Crate and Barrel. Target too, but they haven't put that one out there. She put a small one together there just in case someone might be there shopping and not have time to go to another store. We keep hearing from other brides that Target has a difficult exchange/return policy.

Yummy dinner of Italian Chicken with some pasta and fresh zuchinni that was really good. You know it's good when it tastes buttery and sweet without anything on it!

Hitting The Wall--

We've hit the perverbial brick wall! Today we were all just tired. I think we've just been running for such a long time with end of school, college finals, kids finding work, weddings, Duff's work, Gramma's death, etc.

SO--we slept in and pretty much did nothing! It felt soooooo good. I'm not very good at doing this. My mind is always spinning with what needs to be done, get done, and I feel like I'm wasting time. But today as I thought about it, I realized that down time is a really important thing. It is in all ways healthy. We shouldn't run faster than we have strength, and even the Savior took time to 're-create'.

Natalie has a bad cold. She took a long nap in her room and everyone else was asleep on couches and floors throughout the house! I did sit for a time in the quiet and relished every minute of it! In the stillness and quiet of the afternoon I finished the laundry and did a little tidy-ing, read some more in my book--Julie Andrews autobigraphy, which is very good--and veged.

We had salmon for dinner with roasted red potatoes and peas with mushrooms. So delish. We are going through a HEAT wave. Tomorrow is supposed to be over 100*, which is very warm for this early in the summer. I think that's part of the current state of affairs too! I think we're going to rest out tomorrow and the weekend too. It's supposed to be crazy HOT!

Another Trip To The Post Office

Off to the post office again this afternoon to send the Family Shower invitations. This is always soooo fun! I host it and serve a nice dinner on the china. Everyone brings or sends a gift that reflects a family tradition that the bride and groom can carry on or 'tweak' to make their own. We laugh, cry, oooh and aaah, and tell about each of the traditions we've chosen to highlight. It's a great bonding shower for the families of the bride and groom.

Natalie is going through the temple that morning for her own endowment. It makes it nice that so many family members will be in town for that as well and then can stay for the shower. It is a night for GIRLS ONLY! All the 'guys' head out for some steaks and a movie. I guess truth be told they have a good time too!

New NBA Champions!

Oooooh. It happened just as I hoped it would. Back at the Garden for the 'party' on that parquet floor! Good game Boston. Sad loss for LA. Nice to see Danny Ainge again. How about that shot by KG as he was falling down backwards and he kissed it off the glass! AND got the foul!!! Definitely a highlight of the game! And Ray Allen??? Sweet.

Now it's on to Baseball!

Off To The Post Office

Natalie and Robert off to the post office bright and early this morning to send off the wedding invitations and then on their way to the gym. They are in the mail and now the dining room table moves on to other wedding projects! We are at 5 weeks and counting!

Tasting

Saturday we had our appointment for the food tasting for the reception. We took Adrianne with us so she could help us decide. She has a good eye for these kind of things, and I guess the biggest reason is because we just like to be with her. They were all set up and ready for us when we got there downstairs at the Grill. Here is the sample of the fresh fruit display. It was soooo juicy and good. Refreshing on a warm summer day. Not to mention the beautiful colors! What an eye catcher.

Next were the salads. We picked the California Greens with feta cheese, grilled red onion, and candied walnuts. The 2nd one we picked was the classic Caesar. The croutons were homemade from baguette slices. Very yummy.

The entrees and sides. We decided on the Salmon for sure! and the tortellini for the pasta. The chicken was terrible, so we have another tasting set for next week to try other chicken options. The dish we asked to taste sounded really good on paper--none of us liked it. The grilled vegetables were amazing, but the roasted red potatoes looked like meatballs and were a bit dry, so we will sample a rice pilaf and some garlic mashed next week too. Add the beef carving station and the wedding cake and we are about there! Beverage stations with water, punch, and pink lemonade, and a no-host bar with sodas and juices.

This is Becky with Natalie. She is so nice and is helping us take care of all the details.

Natalie and Adrianne. Thanks for coming Adriannie! Beautiful daughters in a beautiful place--just had to grab the picture.

Wedding Work

We have been up to our 'eyeballs' in wedding work these days! It is nice to see lines crossed through the items on 'the list'!

The dining room table has the pad covers on it and it has been turned into invitation central.

We finished everything up today except for 5 scragglers we still need addresses for. Natalie and Robert took a couple to the post office this morning on the way to Robert's haircut to be weighed for postage and bought all the stamps. So they are officially sealed and stamped and will go in the mail tomorrow! Ahhhhh--it's finally time!

Natalie is really happy with how they turned out. They are exactly what she dreamed of!

The pens for addressing! She decided I should write and she should assemble and stuff. We paced ourselves and figured out my hand could do 100 a day. So I would address about 20 at a time and go do something else and then come back and do 20 more, etc.

We got the cake server and knife today. Picked up the centerpiece vases from Patti. Got the laundry done. Dinner made. Arranged for easels for the reception for pictures. Natalie made an appointment for a wedding day hair run through. We had a fun treat! Robert's mother was in town for a business trip and she was able to come over so we could meet her and visit! What a nice woman. I really liked her. Her flight was 3 hours late so she had spent most of her day in airports, so I warmed up some dinner since she hadn't eaten and we sat at the kitchen table and just talked and talked. We went over some wedding things too, but mostly spent the time getting to know each other and chatting with the kids. She hadn't seen Robert since Brian and Mindy's wedding in April since he has been in Washington, D.C. doing his externship for the D.O.J., so it was a good catch up time and there's nothing like those hugs from your child when you haven't seen them in a while!

Off to bed. Nighty-night!

FATHER'S DAY RECAP--

Our Father's Day was very nice. The girl's and I made the 'guys' breakfast. The sausage, hashbrowns and eggs wafted through the house. Then we were off to church. I got a call at 9am from the Primary music leader that her baby had the stomach flu that started this morning, and could I please do the music for Jr. Primary. Of course! I'm not generally a music leader, but I do have the skills. It was soooo fun to be in Primary again. The substitute pianist ended up not being able to play either, so I played prelude as well, the reverence song while the President led, and then and the closing song and postlude too. My closet pianist hands were shaking, but I got through it. I should practice more.

We got home and put the potatoes in the oven, washed and snapped the asparagus, made the salad and set out the rolls. It was warm enough so I put them out on the patio table and they rose in no time! Got the steaks grilled and everything was delish. Above is the cake Adrianne made for Duff from she and Mike for his gift. He loves carrot cake with raisins, so this was her first attempt at a carrot cake and she did a really good job. It was very yummy. She used raisins for a creative touch on the top. Pretty clever, huh?

Can you guess what everyone is engrossed in? Yep--the Lakers/Celtic game. Obviously it was a pretty intense game especially at the end. It really could have gone either way. I know I said in an earlier post that I secretly hoped it would go back to Boston so the Celtics could win at home, but now I'm a bit nervous and wish that they just would have clinched it in LA.

Here is what they were so focused on. Oh, what a game! Between this and the US Open, it was quite a game day! Tiger's knee is sure giving him trouble. Wonder what will happen tomorrow, now???

I need to get a picture of my 'honey' for Father's Day on here. Duff is the most wonderful man. He has the best sense of humor. He always looks on the positive. He is gentle and kind and a big old softie. He is a hard worker. He is not afraid of a challenge--he just dives in and does his best. I appreciate how he supports me. He is a wonderful father. He doesn't hardly ever get upset or mad. He is a good listener and reasoner. I'm glad he is the father of our children.

I talked to my dad. He is feeling much better. He has had the stomach flu and a bad cold. He was grilling the ribs for their dinner. My mom had Lisa, Craig, Meredith, Kristin, Clint, and Janae (Robert's sister who is in culinary school there) over for dinner and the holiday. They all had a great time together and my dad ended up giving everyone a blessing with Clint assisting. What a nice thing to do on Father's Day--use the Priesthood. That is something I must mention: my dad ALWAYS is ready and willing to use the Priesthood and give a blessing. When I was growing up, I could always count on that and it was such a comfort. My dad worked so hard for us. I remember him working several jobs to make ends meet and taking his beloved camera equipment to a pawn shop once so we could eat. I don't think he ever got it back. My dad is kind and does not take offense easily. That is a good quality.

He was always the 'ouch' fixer in our house. If we had a skinned knee, sliver, blister, etc. he would sit us on the top of the toilet tank and clean our 'wound' and then put merthiolate on it. It stung like crazy, but he was the best at blowing cold air on it until the sting was gone. He always had a very gentle touch when we were hurt.

Love to you Duff and Dad!

HAPPY FATHER'S DAY

Happy Father's Day!

Have a wonderful day celebrating the Father's in our lives.

Some Water Facts

These water facts were in the daily bulletin for Christine's school this morning. And since this month is all about water for our Provident Living goals, I thought I'd post it. I've always known water was essential and good for you, but I didn't know these specific details. A good reminder!

a. Proper Hydration can increase the metabolism by 3%

b. Lack of water is the#1 reason for daytime fatigue

c. 75% of American’s are chronically dehydrated

d. Adequate consumption of water each day can decrease your risk for several types of cancer

I'm getting a drink of water RIGHT NOW!

~subliminal message from Jenn~

...I have this overwhelming impression that I need to share this recipe....I've just been drawn to it...my dreams have been telling me that Jennifer wants to have it...anybody else can enjoy too....Happy Bar-B-Queing....

SHISH KEBOBS

Marinades:
Yoshida’s
Brianna’s French or Zesty Italian Dressing

Manti Pageant BBQ:

1 cup canola or vege oil
2 cups 7 Up
1 cup soy sauce
½ tsp. horseradish
½ tsp. chopped garlic
Combine and marinate meat in the refrigerator for
Several hours or overnight.


Muaina’s Teriyaki:
1 cup sugar
1 cup soy sauce
10 cloves chopped garlic
Mix together until sugar is dissolved. Marinate meat for
30 minutes to 2 hours. The longer, the deeper the taste.
This is a strong marinade, but very good!


Meats:
Chicken, Beef, Scallops, Shrimp, Pork
Generally ½ pound of meat per person is a good amount to plan for.

Veges:
Any color bell pepper.
Whole mushrooms
Pineapple chunks
Cherry tomatoes
Red onions cut in 1” chunks
Zuchinni slices about ½ inch
And any others you like or can think of!

Skewer the meat and vegetables. Cook over medium heat on the BBQ until done, turning often.

TIPS:

Depending on what you choose, sometimes it’s good to skewer just meat by itself and vegetables by them selves. I don’t usually do this because otherwise my family would just eat the meat! And I want them to have those veges too!

When doing scallops or shrimp skewer them separately. They cook much differently than meats.
For shrimp: Use 2 skewers so it looks like a ladder when you’re done. The shrimp won’t twirl around when you grill them then.

Soak wooden skewers in water for 10-15 minutes before assembling and grilling. This will prevent them from catching on fire. Put them on a sheet pan and cover with water.

Don’t mix meats on the skewers. Beef, and chicken cook at very different time frames so one will be done and the other is still kind of undercooked. So if you are doing two different kinds of meat, do chicken kebobs and beef kebobs.

The beauty of kebobs is that you can do practically anything you can dream up and customize them to what you have, like, or want!

WoW! Go Celtics!

When Natalie and I left for Kennedy's bridal shower, the Lakers were up by 20. And the Celtics couldn't BUY a bucket! Okay--so we would wait for the next game and the series would be tied.

We enjoyed the shower and had a lot of fun visiting with everyone. We got home and Duff told us Boston WON. We were like, yeah right! It wouldn't be out of character for Duff to be teasing us about that. But he was serious. Boston made an unbelievable come back and won the game by 6 points.

Phil Jackson was right: the air just went out of Staples Center. Rewinding the game, you could just feel it. Truth be told, I want the Lakers to win the next game. Only because I would love the Celtics to go back to the Garden and win the championship on that beautiful parquet floor at home!

(Journal: Almost done with addressing the invitations for the wedding. We should finish tomorrow. Did another 100 today. Worked on Thursdays laundry. Got a haircut. Much needed. My hair seems to be growing fast lately. Duff went to leave for work this morning and walked out and walked back in. We didn't have a car! We are short a car for all the drivers we have until Meredith gets here at the end of the month and everyone was gone first thing this morning! )

Wednesday...Hummingbirds

I wish I could say I took this picture, but I didn't. However it is pretty much what I saw today outside my kitchen window. I was cleaning up breakfast this morning. I do some of my best pondering while I wash dishes. So naturally, I was thinking A LOT.

I saw this 'flash' of motion that caught my attention away from the suds. It was a beautiful hummingbird fluttering in my gorgeous purple agapanthus blossoms that are right outside my window. We get a lot of cute hummingbirds while they are in bloom, but for some reason it made me stop what I was doing this morning and WATCH.

I turned off the faucet. My hands were dripping with water and soap as I leaned against the sink to observe. I was struck by the beauty of this perfect, tiny bird and this perfect flower working together making what they 'do' appear so effortless and yet so important in the circle of life.

My mind was instantly grateful for God's wisdom in his creations. Then I went to the knowledge that even the sparrows are 'numbered' to Him. If He could be so aware of this tiny hummingbird in my yard that He knows it and it is 'numbered' to Him, how much more is He aware of His children and we are more than 'numbered' to Him!

Peace flooded my soul. I don't really remember finishing the kitchen clean up, but I do remember the strengthening of my convictions that God is real, He lives, and He loves us.