Another Daybook . . .

Outside my window . . . Hello!  It's been a long time since my last post...life has been a little crazy ;0)  But, hopefully things will slow down a little and I can try to get back to regular blogging and visiting.  

This is what was outside my window this morning, 6 inches of new snow.  Some of it has melted because of warmer temperatures today, but it's still there, like it or not.  It did cover up the ugly winter grass and vole trails.  I think the voles have overtaken our lawn over the winter, and that means lots of yard work this spring, if spring ever gets here that is.  

This is what I saw one day when I opened my front door.  These icicles were probably 4 feet long.

I was at the church one day, and felt pretty lucky that these icicles weren't hanging off of my house!

On my playlist . . . 

This has been a very emotional month for our family.  I think I told you that  my grandson has been called on a mission for our church, to the North Adriatic Mission, which takes in, Croatia, Slavonia, and Serbia.  We are so happy for him, but at the same time my heart is already missing him.  He will be gone for two years.  This has been a dream that is finally coming true for Brody.

What I'm thinking . . . We had a farewell dinner for Brody after his farewell at church on Sunday.  It was wonderful, so many of his family and friends came to support him and wish him well.  

Bob and I with Brody.

All but one of my grandchildren.

Brody will be very missed.  He leaves on the 29th of March.  He will spend 6 weeks at the Missionary Training Center in Salt Lake City, Utah, so that he can learn Croatian and Slovenian, two of the most difficult languages in the world to learn. At his farewell, he read two scriptures in Croatian, it's amazing that he can already speak and read some of this difficult language.  We are excited for him to start this new journey in his life!  

What I'm thankful for . . . Well, it's March, and I am happy for birthdays!  My oldest grandchild, Christian, the one missing from the photo, had a birthday on the 15th, and we had fun celebrating his birthday with him.  We went out to dinner and then came home for cake and ice cream, his cake was brownies.  We loved getting to spend time with him. 

Something I love . . . Looking at travel trailers or just getting out for an afternoon.  Last Saturday Bob and I decided to go to the trailer show.  No, we don't need a new trailer but it was fun to look.  This is one I really liked.  It had some fun bells and whistles, but I really love my old trailer...I think we'll keep it for a while.  The new trailers are very pretty, with a very pretty price tag, and this wasn't even one of the fancy ones! 

Something we are working on . . . Snow removal.  We've had so much snow here in Idaho, that everyone is afraid of flooding.  We have stairs in our basement that go out into the backyard, and the snow is so deep that my husband was afraid it would come down the stairs and flood us.  So, here is a picture of him trying to move the snow away from the stairs, and making a mess of the yard ;0)

I'm wearing . . . Because it's still cold outside, I'm wearing a sweater, sweat pants and my fuzzy slippers.  It seems like it's my favorite outfit these days.  One day it will warm up and I can break out my sandals!

Creating . . . My creative juices have stopped flowing.  I'm still going through things and getting rid of or donating boxes of items I haven't used in years, or things that I no longer need.  It's an ongoing process for me.  My next project is to clean and declutter out from under the stairs.  It's amazing how much can fit in that space.

In the kitchen . . . Meals have been hard for me, but I'm working on it.  The other day a dear friend brought us a big box of elk meat.  He and his son got an elk this year, but they are the only ones who like it.  Lucky for us, we love it!  When I was a girl, most of our meat was wild game and fish, so I grew up eating it.  Last night I fried some up, threw in a sliced onion, let is simmer on low for a while, and it was delicious!  I'm looking forward to making a roast for dinner one of these first nights, it's always delicious. I'll try to remember to take a photo of it.

My granddaughter texted me last night and wanted the recipe for my banana bread.  This is a wonderful recipe that my sister gave me years ago, but it's my go-to recipe for banana bread.

Banana Bread - makes one loaf 

1/2 cup butter 

1 1/2 cup sugar 

2 beaten eggs

1 tsp. vanilla

2 cups flour

1/2 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. soda

1/4 cup sour milk or buttermilk 

1 cup mashed banana

Cream butter and sugar.  Add eggs and vanilla, beat until fluffy.  Add dry ingredients, alternate with milk and banana.  Beat well.  Bake at 350 degrees for 50 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.  

One of my goals in the next few months is to make her a book of some of my favorite recipes, and some of her favorite recipes that I make.  A new bride always needs a good cookbook.

Something to leave you with . . .  I love it when I can see the sunset in the north, and it's is perfectly pink. 

Suddenly the horizon seemed wrapped in a mass of pale pink clouds... a perfect rose without a break or rift. It was as if a pink aurora had flashed out low down in the sky, giving everything around a roseate tinge. ~Emily Read, "Hugh Granger's Wooings," 1874

Be safe . . . XOXO

Hugs and Love, 

Barb