Sweet Potators

And drink from the hand-painted, China tea cups I got from Grandma Ede. And invite all my favorite people. And if they have a favorite cup, they can bring theirs, too. And have them all wear big hats and dainty (or sexy) gloves. And if they don't like tea, they can sip diet coke.

I don't usually take photos of our little jaunts to Utah... But, this time I did. The skies were fabulous and I just kept snapping.

Well, today I'm going for two!  And I must find a way to use them at least 6 times each... Austere: severe, stern, strict, rigorous, rigid Pragmatic: practical, down to earth, realistic, matter-of-fact *Not that these are new to me... I just never use them. And I still have a MAJOR girl crush on Natalie Grant.. Was watching her 'Held' video on youtube ( http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iOufqWodFNo ) and came across a quote from her that solidified the crush all the more...

My bucket list is coming right along... and hiking Mt. Borah is some thing I've wanted to do since I first saw it about 15 years ago.  And for those of you that know how scared I am of heights, you know that there is one aspect to this hike that'll make it so incredibly difficult for me... 'Chicken-out Ridge':  http://www.summitpost.org/mt-borah-southwest-chicken-out-ridge/740523 So far... Stand in a field of acres of sunflowers Enter something in the Western Idaho State Fair Horseback through the Aussie Outback Take piano lessons and learn how to play Fur Elise well again and several of my favorite hymns Visit and tour the Huntington Library and grounds Play baseball at the 'Sandlot' Grow a vegetable garden in a community garden Hike to the top of and spend the night up on Mt. Borah

Awesome! Heck Ya or yeah for yes Words like fill and sell for feel and sale... not so much a problem, but there could be more of a distinction in their usage... and other words like them. As the day goes on and I open my mouth, there'll definitely be more to come.

The old BBQ grill finally bit the dust (mostly) this summer... there was about a 1 x 1 foot area left you could cook on... which would be fine for us soon-to-be empty nesters... but not if you want to feed several people at once. Soo, whatta ya do? You go out and buy the biggest grill for non-commercial use they make.  LOL! We were having Rob's office staff and anyone they wanted to bring over for dinner last night.... fun fun people... wonderful time... except that it was still a freakin' 102 degrees at 8 pm. Anyway, I'm always messing around with marinades and for the last several years my fave has been one with a Coke base.  But a few days ago I found one that was a little bit different than ones I've used before that always have oil in them... this one is by FAR the best!  I used it to marinate both the steaks and chicken and I'll be sticking with this one for good.... Soda Pop – Soy Sauce Marinade for Chicken and Steak Ingredients Marinade 1/4 cup...

My favorite piece I learned growing up and still love to play... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_mVW8tgGY_w

Oh, what do you do in the summertime, when all the world is green? Do you fish in a stream, or lazily dream on the banks as the clouds go by? Is that what you do?  So do I! Oh, what do you do in the summertime, when all the world is green? Do you march in parades, or drink lemonades, or count all the stars in the sky? Is that what you do?  So do I! Oh, what do you do in the summertime, when all the world is green? Do you swim in a pool, to to keep yourself cool, or swing in a tree up high? Is that what you do?  So do I! One of my favorite children's primary songs. Then: Without a doubt, growing up summer always meant two things.... St. George (which in and of itself deserves it's very own post) AND swimming Science and art camps my mom signed me up for Carnivals in the backyard to raise money for the March of Dimes Hogle Zoo... and popcorn we used to feed the spotted deer.... or maybe they were goats? When my kids were growing up: Day trips to Yello...

Everyone I know that wants to go to Australia wants to go to all the touristy spots. Not me. I wanna saddle up a horse and ride for several days across the back country, maybe herd some sheep (not really), hear the dingos howl at the moon, run into Eric Bana out riding his horse, too, or driving 'The Beast'....  really, just see and feel the lay of the land.

About a month ago Sarah took TJ there to check out the old lot where it was filmed at 1386 Glenrose Drive in Salt Lake... Then, tonight they were having a Sandlot reunion to celebrate 20 years since the release of the film with some of the actors at the Salt Lake Bee's game... Of course there was no way Sarah was going to miss that...

In Pasadena, California. One of those 'must see' places for me. You could spend days there... wandering through the several gardens, the art galleries, the buildings...

TOO-TA-LYY!!

For those that don't know Joe (my brother), we adopted him when he was 5-6 from Korea.  He spent months, after the first several years of his young life beaten and abused by his mother (the scars physically and emotionally are horrid), surviving on the streets of Korea before being taken into an orphanage.  He is autistic, mentally retarded, ADHD, has Tourette's, and has had two kidney transplants (because his kidneys were highly damaged as a result of his mother beating him if he went to the bathroom).  I won't go into the disturbing things that happened to him after he arrived here... so awful. Back to the incredible joy he is... Every where you go someone knows him and everyone loves him!  You can be at any random place with him and hear over your shoulder "Hey! It's Joe!" And though his life story reads quite tragically.... so much sadness... would you ever know it?  Not if you know Joe.  He is the happiest person I've ever met.  And with age...

Over a dinner of Hawaiian haystacks (Joe's favorite) tonight the conversation went like this: *Passed Joe the cheese* Joe: Liz, do you like Velveeta cheese? Me: Nope.... icky! Joe: Why?  What's wrong with it?  I like it... I eat it. Me: It's like eating plastic. Joe: Then I'm saving he earth! ......................................................................... And, this song came up on SongPop a few days ago and now I can't stop listening to it.... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SvPZo52X5vo This happens about once a week... I'll hear an old song on SongPop and listen to it over and over again till the next one comes along. ***Hawaiin Haystacks

Invitation: I found the wedding cake clipart on Etsy (BaBaPuff), purchased it from the store owner and they sent it to me in pdf file. Tissue spheres: http://www.bramblewoodfashion.com/2011/06/tissue-paper-pom-poms-diy-tutorial.html?m=1 *I made several of these for Sarah's wedding and I found the stiffer tissue paper worked so much better!  It may be harder to separate... but it doesn't tear nearly as easily.  For those that were in the tins I used the smallest sized wooden dowels as the stems, spray painted them in Chelsey's colors and glued them into the center of the sphere. Wooden card holders: Bought the smallest round, routered-edge wooden plaques at Hobby Lobby, drilled a hole in the center, glued in a wooden dowel (whatever width and length you want), glues a spring clothes pin to the top and spray painted whatever color I thought would go well. Crepes: http://allrecipes.com/recipe/de...

My four little plants... LOL!

Story to come later...

And today I'm happy because: - All the flowers in my backyard are growing so beautifully and getting so big. - I love my 4 new maxi skirts! - I found my purse... Rob had accidentally pushed it under the bed when he was moving some blankets and pillows in the middle of the night. - I think lemons are divine!  I could sniff Murphy's Oil Soap with lemon oil in it all the livelong day...

Today I'm thankful for: - Nivea lotion - The Google home page 4th of July logo - I set up my Etsy shop and am super excited about what I'm going to sell - After years I've finally found the perfect chocolate chip cookie recipe... the Nestle Toll House recipe... who'da thought?