Wednesdays specials

I just love competition, I mean stores competing with one another for good deals. We have had 2 new stores come to the valley in the last 6 months or so. Sunflower Market and Buy Low. Wednesday's is the day they have a special of some sort. Sunflower market has double ad on Wednesdays, which means you can get last weeks deals and the upcoming weeks on the same day. At Buy Low, on Wednesdays they have special produce sales which are phenomenal. Both stores are crazy with people all trying to get in on the good deals.

Amanda and I started getting together a few months ago and have been going nearly every Wednesday since. We hit Sunflower Market, Buy Low and Costco. This week we threw in Tenochtitlan Market (the Spanish grocery store buy Staples) because they had a sale on Mango's that no other store could match. By the time we get home my trunk is full. We end up at one of our houses (usually Amanda's) and make up a huge salad and split it in two for us to both eat from for the upcoming week. It has saved me so much money and a lot of time doing this. The only thing that could possibly be better is if all my girls could be here and do this with us. If that was the case, we would need a bus for all the car seats and groceries. But imagine the FUN!!!

Some of the specials of the day. What I can't eat during the week I usually freeze for later use.

Spring! Where are you?

I decided this year to plant an herb garden. I went to get some actual plants, but they were pretty pricey, so I got some seed packets (1.00 at Wally world), a plant tray and away I went. After filling up the peet discs with water and watching them expand, I planted the seeds, labeled everything and placed it on a heating pad on my kitchen cabinet. It took 2 days for the first little seedlings to appear. They should be ready to plant outdoors (after a few transfers to larger pots) by the end of April, middle of May (depending on the weather). I am way excited.


I also bought some raspberries starts today and will plant those when the weather warms up again. I haven't had fresh picked raspberries since we moved from our last house. I have really gotten the gardening fever this year. I even bought some tomato plants to put out in the garden under walls of water to see if I can beat my dad to the first tomato of the season.

Where O where is that warm spring weather??? I need you!!!!

Happy Birthday to my green baby

Our oldest daughter Alisha was born on this day 20 some odd years ago (I won't reveal her actual age). We called her our St. Paddy's baby and gave her something green for her birthday for many years.

Happy Birthday 'Lish.

We love you!!!

Hope you have a great day.

My grandma, My hero(ine)

My grandma turned 91 today. She has always been such an inspiration in my life. I would like to pay tribute to this wonderful woman. She is now in a care center and is not the person she used to be. This is the grandma I remember:
1. I don't remember her ever talking bad about anyone.
2. She always looked for the best in others.
3. She would stop whatever she was doing and be there for me.
4. She would listen to me and felt my pain when I was sad.
5. She always made me feel like I was her favorite.
6. She always had treats (cookies, snak pak puddings, dried fruit).
7. At Christmas (and camping) she always had puffed wheat balls, puffed rice balls and home made cookies of all sorts.
8. She had a strong testimony and served diligently in her church callings.
9. She faithfully served in the Provo Temple for many, many years with my grandpa.
10. She developed many talents over the years that she shared with her family (handmade quilts and afghans, tole painting, marzipan, oil painting and many others)
11. She was always thinking (and helping) those in her family who were struggling. 12. She had such compassion for the underdog.
13. She loved having her grandchildren (and later her great grandchildren) come and stay with her - and did little crafts with us (ie: Styrofoam cups in the microwave)
14. She would tell us bedtime stories about the pictures that hung on her walls.
15. When we were sick with a cold, she would put vicks on our chests and cover it with a dish towel that we wore to bed.

This is just a very small list of why I love my grandma.
.....HAPPY BIRTHDAY, GRANDMA. I LOVE YOU!!!

Homemade Enchilidas anyone?

Everyone in our family knows that Dennis is a better cook than I am. He actually likes to cook....sometimes. Actually he cooks his own breakfast every morning because I am exercising at that time, and he is the professional smoothie maker at our house (his always taste better than mine). A week ago he made his famous homemade enchiladas. They are a bit of work, but so worth it.

Temples and Snow Shoeing

Today we went with Nancy and Calvin, first to the Manti Temple and afterwards snow shoeing at their cabin. They were invited to a Temple Marriage Ceremony, and we did sealings. It was really neat experience. We had the opportunity to see a little more of the Temple than the one other time we were there (when Malinda and Brian were sealed 2 1/2 years ago). The sealings weren't very long so when we were through we just sat in the Celestial room. I just love the architecture of that beautiful Temple. We also ate lunch in the Temple cafeteria. We all had roast beef and mashed potatoes with gravy.

Then we headed to Nancy and Calvin's cabin. We changed out of our temple clothes and into our warm weather gear in the lodge, then went to pick up the 4 wheelers (which we had dropped off earlier that morning on our way to the temple). The only way to get up to their cabin with all the snow is either by snow mobiles or 4 wheelers (when using 4 wheelers - only if you stay on the roads that have been compacted). You could not drive a car or truck as they would get stuck.

Unloading the wheelers at the bottom



Calvin warned us to stay on the road and not get off of it or we would get stuck and bury the 4 wheelers but Dennis must have been sleeping when Calvin said this because as we got to the cabin, he thought he would just drive on down the driveway. WRONG! He got stuck royally and they spent about 45 minute getting the 4 wheeler out.

STUCK, and nearly laid over on it's side



Getting unstuck


Almost out....those machines are heavy and it took alot of man power



Nearly there...



Finally out (coiling the wench back up)



Once Dennis was unstuck, Nancy and I headed down to the cabin on snow shoes and walked down and around in the snow. It was so beautiful. I just love the mountains. Each season has its own beauty and winter is no exception. After a little snow shoeing, we went into the cabin and saw how much work they had been able to complete last fall, then we just sat and visited and got warmed up. When we were all warm, we set out for another round of snow shoeing. It is one winter sport I could enjoy doing. Great exercise. It was too bad Dennis didn't have his camera out when, as I always do, fell in a hole. I don't know what it is with me, but if there is a hole, I will find it. We had walked to the lookout and on the way back my right leg took a step and didn't stop, and I sank up to my thigh. It was hilarious. Dennis was so worried that I had injured myself, and I couldn't say much because I was laughing too hard. It seems there was some electrical sort of box under the snow and the sun had heated it up and the snow around the box had melted away, but still left the top layer, so I had no way of knowing there was a hole. Then we went back to the cabin and ate dinner and visited. Thanks Nancy and Calvin for inviting us. We had so much fun.