Awesome and Amazing

Today started out lazy and feeling oh-so-good. It stayed that way too! We got the house picked up, the garden watered. Nothing showing yet. It's been a week today, so maybe in a few more days. I keep telling myself to be patient. This is the earliest we've ever planted and while the sun is shining, it's not too warm yet and the tomato plant box still doesn't get full sun all day at this point. Another few weeks for that!

Duff and Christine went to the grocery store with my list so I could play it cautious with my back. I wanted to be sure and be able to go with Chris to the YW General Broadcast tonight. As it got closer, I soooo was feeling a little ornery and that I just wanted to stay at home and watch it on TV with her. But I knew that we would both get more out of it if we put on our 'church clothes' and made the effort to go to the stake center. She wasn't too happy about changing either and I put on my 'mother persona' to tell her that it would all be worth it and we WERE going.

Boy, was it ever worth it! They introduced the new value of Virtue. And when President Monson gave the concluding talk, Christine told me she had goose bumps. I did too. I don't ever think I have heard a prophet stand at a pulpit and give that kind of a talk. It was loving, but FIRM, STRONG, STRAIGHTFORWARD, and he didn't mince any words. We will both never forget where we were when he said those things. I dvr'd it and we will sit down with Duff for FHE and go over what we learned.

All I can say is: WOW!

After, we joined some YW moms, girls, and leaders at the Lowe's food court for some dinner. We ate outside and had a fun time being together. Although the mosquitos loved my sandaled feet. Argggh. They have always loved my blood......

Clean Sheets Ramblings.....

I can't believe it's Friday. It seems like I'm stuck in a time warp. Next week is the last week of March! How did that wiz by?

I did really well yesterday. Even made a simple dinner. If putting Marie Callendar pot pies in the oven is making dinner. But it was easy and soft for Christine's teeth. Folded laundry as Duff got it washed. We even worked together and got the sheets changed on our bed. I couldn't stand them anymore after laying in them for several days. There is nothing quite like a fresh, crisp set of clean sheets! In the olden days, when I was a youngin', before the days of clothes dryers, one of my favorite things was the clean sheets hanging on the clothes line in the backyard. I LOVED watching them flutter in the beach breezes. And the smell! Oh, the lovely smell of line dried sheets!

Thinking about that makes me realize how truly remarkable being a woman at that time was. There was no internet to keep up on the weather. Even if you watched the evening news for the weather report, it wasn't as 'true' and predictable as it is now. My mom would make sure she timed the laundry just 'so'. Getting it washed and out on that 'line' so it would be dry and could be brought in before evening when the marine layer and moisture came in and then they would be wet all over again. Never did the laundry get left out over night. And she juggled that with meals--minus a microwave (can you even imagine? But I did it until I had my 4th child!) Oh, the planning! No dishwasher. No blow dryers for hair. No automatically timed sprinklers to water the yards. No gardeners. One car to be shared with my dad, who worked every day. And she did that all with being a room mother/PTA parent for all her children, sold Avon, sewed, crafted, and served in the church. Phew! It makes me wonder--what do I do with my time? Cuz I'm pretty busy!

When Duff and I bought the duplex in Santa Ana with the Allen's and each of our little families lived in one side of it, we were so poor. And at that time interest rates were 18%! Yes, that is not a typo, and we refinanced several times as it went down, but it got each of us a 'start'. Interesting times, kind of like now. I babysat my brains out. I cried every morning when I woke up knowing all those kids were coming when all I wanted to do was be at home with my own. But you do what you have to do, right? And it got us through. We didn't have a clothes dryer for 2 years until my parents found a used one for us. So we rigged up a clothes line on that little patio. I made a bag for the clothespins that scooted along with me as I hung up diapers, towels, sheets, and the rest of it. Every door jam inside was packed with shirts and unmentionables and the boys rode their big wheels up and down through the fluttering laundry outside and loved it!

Updates:

1. Well, I'm doing much better. No more pain, just stiffness. But this is exactly the time that if I don't take it easy it will go back out again, so I'm telling myself to be smart. I've been downstairs a few times, slowly, and up out of that dang bed! Oh, how do people do it that have to be in bed? I've showered and am dressed and looking for another book to read. I'm sitting at the computer station upstairs and looking at a darling brown and red bird perched on a wisteria branch with a purple clump of flowers intertwined on our patio cover. He is preening his feathers and singing such a happy tune. A breeze is blowing and the wind chimes are playing their gentle symphony.

2. In the last 3 days I've read 3 books: The Boy In The Striped Pajamas, The Last Lecture,and Prime Cut. Loved all of them.

PC is a murder mystery novel about an everyday caterer whose hubby is a police investigator and she somehow gets involved in helping him solve the cases. She includes all the recipes from her catering menus. I've gotten a lot of good ones from this series of books! Author: Diane Mott Davidson.

TLL: by Randy Pausch. Everyone should read this. It goes into much more detail about his pancreatic cancer and perspectives. Good, good!

TBITSP: I have not seen the movie, so I knew nothing about the story. I was pretty surprised at the ending. I had thought it would be a completely different storyline. Since my mom's history is all German, I'm fascinated by things like this. Interesting to think about the 'fences' in our own lives. Now I really want to see the movie.

3. Meredith is safely in Thailand. The mom in me worries about all 'my' children. Click on her link and see what's going on. She is taking pictures like crazy and blogging all about them. It is gorgeous! She is nannying for a friend that she grew up with her whole life and getting the once in a lifetime chance to see this beautiful place up close and personal. Have fun, Mere, and keep those posts coming!

4. Christine got her wires and back braces on yesterday. Mike came over to 'babysit' me while Duff took her. Her mouth is pretty dang sore. At least she got them one step at at time. When I was telling her that Shaun got the 'whole shebang' on the first day, she turned and looked at me with her eyes wide and could not imagine it! I think she looks pretty cute in them. She has good sized teeth so when you look at her you don't just see braces.

5. Grandma and Grandpa are doing fine since their car accident last week. Some bumps and bruises and a couple scrapes, but everything is healing well. It could have and should have been MUCH worse!

Oh, My Aching Back!

My back went out on Sunday afternoon, in the car, getting ready to drive home after church. I just moved 'wrong' and it 'grabbed' and out it went. I have been flat down for 2 days straight. It does this about every 3 years or so. I get a little careless with how I do things and pay for it.

The bad new is, I've been in bed with a gazillion things going on in my head that I had planned/wanted to do. It's been hard to turn my head off. The good news is, the world still goes on, my hubby is amazing, (he even did all the laundry on Monday so I wouldn't get off schedule), Christine is amazing, and I've read two books in two days that I've wanted to read for months and never got to! Right now I'm actually sitting up in a chair and things feel pretty good. I know better than to overdue at this stage, even though I want to bound outside and get back in to my vegetable garden! Well, walk down the stairs would be more realistic. So I guess what I've come to the conclusion is this: I get a week off to catch up on a whole other set of 'things to do' that I don't make time for. Not too bad, right?

Saturday's Twilight

Christine was up first thing this morning so she could go to Target and get the Twilight movie. It now has a place with all of our other DVD's. As soon as she and Duff got home, we had to all watch it. I liked it a lot better at home than I did in the theater. I knew not to expect too much this time. The surprising thing is that Duff liked it! He told us he would read the books now so he could fill in the gaps. I'll keep you updated on that! (Isn't he a great dad!)

Duff and I went to Lowes and got the rest of the seeds and plants we needed for the garden. We met up with Mike and Adrianne who were running errands and had some lunch at Philly's Best with them. We went home and they went to finish their list. The garden is all planted now. I'll take a picture tomorrow and a few more during the growing season to see how it's doing. I'm happy with the plan we put together this year. I really like the new tomato towers. We got everything good and watered and are expecting some rain tonight and tomorrow that will help it out.

While I was sweeping up and squirting down, Duff took Chris to her friend's house where they practiced some lacrosse and then went to dinner and a movie with her parents. Then we took a walk down and around Dove lake and back. Brrr....it was dusk, so that made it damp and cold. Duff is re-watching Twilight. Haha! I love that about him. He's making sure he understands how it all fits together. Duff and I just had a simple dinner and so everything is all cleaned up and tidy and we are enjoying a quiet night at home.

It's Here!

0:00.
The countdown is over and it is officially the first day of S P R I N G !!!

...and wouldn'tcha know, it's densely foggy, cold, and going to rain this weekend. The last several days have truly been springlike. Sunny, warm, green, gorgeous. Oh, fickle spring!

(Duff flew home this morning. Mike went and picked him up. He got the soil in the last box in the garden turned over and now we are ready to plant. We called and called to see if J.T. could come with us to get the plants and seeds. He is going to help us with the garden and use it as a part of his science section for school. But they might be gone because we never heard back. We'll try again in the morning. Then we headed out to the small garage and worked some more on our emergency prep/food storage cupboards. We got all our canning jars and equipment straightened up, boxed and put away nicely. OH, HOW I LAMENT NOT HAVING A BASEMENT FRUIT ROOM! Those of you who do have them, please promise me that you will use them,keep them orderly, clean and tidy and peek in once a day to say how grateful you are to have one! Don't take them for granted! Christine's teeth are feeling better. Just in time to start hurting all over again come Wednesday when she gets all the wires on. Cody was up for the evening while the family was at the school play. He and Christine had a nice time playing DDR and watching tv and playing the violin. Not bad for the 1st day of Spring!)

Last Day of Winter

• Morning walk. So beautiful. Sweet sunlight, ducks on the lake, trees and bushes blooming.
• Phone calls!
• Laundry
• Work in the garden
• Make dinner for a neighbor who is just out of the hospital.
• More laundry
• Water
• Pick up Christine from the bus-stop and get her to the lacrosse field.
• Back to take dinner over
• Take lacrosse stick that I forgot back to the field.
• Saw Kathleen T. visited with her until practice was over. Didn't get home, oh well. Conversation was so fun to catch up!
• Homework, dinner, finish laundry.
• Watched Larry King live on Natasha Richardson's death. I just loved her in The Parent Trap movie. It's hard to fathom that she passed away so quickly. Head trauma is an interesting thing. We've skied for so many years that it's difficult to wrap my thoughts around the fact that she was on the bunny hill and now she's gone. I keep thinking about her family...
• Shaun did good with his report/project for his class. He partnered with Christian Clayton, Kennedy's hubby, and they made Sunday Gravy for the class. Even the Italian girl in their class said it was 'right on the money'. They all met up at Natalie and Robert's after and watched the rest of the basketball game.
• I'm fascinated by those upside down hanging tomato baskets. Even though I have a nice garden plot, I really want to get one of those and try it. They promise no pests, diseases, and a large yield. I think it would be fun!

Christine's Braces

Chris and I were up and out of the house by 9am. Today was the B. I. G. day! She got her braces on. They sure keep making improvements on orthodonture. She was done in an hour. Nice brackets cemented on the fronts of her teeth. Spacers on the molars. Black rubberbands on for now. They did a quick cleaning and then got right to work.

I sat there and was remembering 40 some years ago when I got my braces. Big old things that went all around your tooth and had to be hammered on, hammered off, cement applied, and then hammered back on again! So different now. She goes a week from today and gets all the wires on and the brackets for her molars.

We went and got a smoothie after and then home to get her books and some soft Hawaiian rolls for her to have at lunch time. Only very soft food for a couple of days they told us. What a trooper. She went to school the rest of the day and then to her violin lesson this afternoon. But she is in a lot of pain right now and so I made her some macaroni and cheese for dinner with some applesauce and an ice cream shake is on order for later tonight. Thank goodness for ibuprofen. She won't let me take a picture today. Maybe in a couple of days when she's feeling better.

It was really warm today--80*. Too warm for March, but OH! was it ever pretty. Went to lunch and had Thai food for a friend's birthday. I had never had it before. It was pretty good.

Corned Beef and Cabbage and Pistachio Cupcakes

Chrissy and I had our St. Patrick's Day dinner followed by some delicious Pistachio Cupcakes. And we started out the day with green pancakes and green milk, of course! Corned Beef and Cabbage

1- 2-3 lb. corned beef

1 small head cabbage, cored and cut into 6 wedges

baby carrots, however many you want

1 medium onion, peeled and cut in half and sliced

3 white rose potatoes, scrubbed and cut in half

3 red potatoes, scrubbed and cut in half

Put corned beef and liquid and seasoning packet in a large pot. Cover with water and bring to a boil. Cover and let simmer for 2 1/2 hours. Add sliced onion, carrots, and potatoes. Cover and simmer for 15 minutes. Add cabbage that has been cut into 6ths. Cover and simmer until the vegetables are tender, about another 15 minutes. Remove to a platter. Remember to slice the corned beef across the grain.

That's it! This is such a simple dish and gives a big return on flavor.

These outrageously yummy cupcakes come from the Taste of Home magazine. I got it off my cousin's friend's cooking blog. They are very dense and moist, kind of like a carrot cake. For the frosting, I made a half batch of cream cheese frosting and then added half a large carton of lite cool whip, and of course--green food coloring. This would be great as a one-layer cake or a bread too.

Pistachio Cupcakes

1 3/4 cups flour

2/3 cup sugar

1 small package instant pistachio pudding mix

2 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. salt

2 eggs

1 1/4 cups milk

1/2 cup canola oil

1 tsp. vanilla extract

green food coloring, optional (I added 2-3 drops)

Cream Cheese frosting OR tinted cool whip for the top

In large bowl, beat the eggs, milk, oil and vanilla. Add the dry ingredients and mix until blended. Fill paper-lined muffin cups 3/4 full. Bake at 375* for 18-22 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool on wire rack. Add food coloring to frosting if desired. Frost cupcakes.

YIELD: 1 dozen

I'm So Excited!

Yep.

It is the first day of spring football practice.

Go Max Hall and the Cougars!

I'm so excited and can hardly wait. Football season will be here before we blink.

HAPPY ANNIVERSARY TUCKERS!!!

Happy 19 years anniversary to Lisa and Craig. I remember the day well. We wore little green shamrock stickers at the reception! Wow, has it really been 19 years?

We LOVE you so much and hope you have a great celebration.

Kiss Me I'm Irish

Well, at least by marriage! It doesn't get more Irish with the last name of Duffy! I am wearing green today so no pinches. And I've been working in the green backyard this morning too. Getting the asparagus ferns trimmed up and the geranium pots cut back. Gosh, it is a gorgeous spring day here right now. The birdies are tweeting and I spent 1/2 an hour just sitting and watching a roadrunner play in the yard. Here's a little ditty for ya:

For each petal on the shamrock

This brings a wish your way-

Good health, good luck, and happiness

For today and every day.

And another one to laugh about:

May you be in

Heaven a half hour before the

Devil knows you're dead!

HAPPY ST. PATRICK'S DAY!