Spring in Idaho . . .

There really is nothing more beautiful than that special shade of green that you only see in the spring.  It's just gorgeous here, and the temperatures are finally starting to get warm.  I do have tomato plants and some onion sets that need to be planted, but I'm not sure I trust the weather with the tomatoes yet.  Tomorrow, I'll plant the onion, they'll be fine, even if we get a light frost.  

A week or so ago, my friend, Tammy, and I went to the Vintage Fair.  It was so much fun, I didn't buy much, but we had fun "window shopping".  Here's a little of what we saw there.

Your selfie was your ticket back in if  you happened to leave. . . so, here we are!

A neighbor of mine was there selling these amazing wooden cutting boards and plaques.  He will make anything you want him to make!  I really liked the cutting boards shaped like Idaho . . . Christmas gifts?!

These were amazing!  these are old plates and platters that this person has set in glass, like a stained glass window - they were stunning!  My friend has a lot of old china pieces that were her husbands mothers, so she thought this would be a wonderful way to preserve them and also to give to family members for keepsakes.  

Let's talk about, Temu.  I know you have all heard of it, kind of like, dollar store, only bigger and there's an app.  I needed some flowers to plant in some pots on my porch because nothing will grow in them.  They get to much wind and too much sun.  But the real reason is . . . I don't have to take care of them!  So, I ordered these flowers from, Temu.  My daughter told me about them, and I'm glad I made the purchase, I think they look great, for fake flowers!!  What do you think?  Do you ever buy anything from Temu?  Not paid to say any of this, I just think they're pretty.  

I planted a few real flowers today.  We had to run to the hardware store, and so I picked a few plants up while I was there.  We also planted some tomatoes, onions and radishes.  It may be a little cold for tomatoes, but we'll cover them if there is a threat of frost, they should be fine.  You can see another Temu find in the pots.  They are little solar powered lights, I thought they were fun, and they'll be pretty at night.

And I'm saving the best for last . . . Brody made it to Croatia today!  This is a picture of Brody and the mission president and his wife.  He flew out yesterday and I just got the message that he made it.  It was a long flight, with a 5 hr. layover in Amsterdam.  We thought he wasn't leaving until next week, but his mom said that they order the tickets last minute so they take what they can get.  There were 15 missionaries coming home from Croatia and 4 going out, Brody being one of them.  His mom said that the mission palace he is going to, has actual Rembrandt painting in it.  I'm telling you, this is right up Brody's intellectual alley.  This will be an amazing journey for him!  He will only be doing service work for now, as they frown on proselyting.  But he will be amazing at whatever he does.  His mom said that when she spoke with the mission president,  he told her that Brody was tired, but he went with them for a walk around Zagreb anyway, he's all for adventure.   Can you tell I am a proud grandma ;0)

Well, enough for now.  I hope your week is a good one!  

Be safe, XOXO

Hugs and Love,

Barb

 

My Daybook . . . long post!

 

Outside my window . . .  Well, hello!  I know it's been a long time since I  have been in this space, it's good to be back!  I took a two month break, a much needed break . . .  Wait a minute, I think I said that the last time ;0)  As you can see, the grass is green and the snow is gone, at least in the valley.  There is still a lot of snow in the mountains and many places here are experiencing flooding.  Thank goodness, we are not in those areas.  It's been a cold spring, with only a few nice days since April.  We are suppose to get into the upper 70's by Mother's Day, so that will be wonderful!

The voles were really bad this winter and made a mess of our lawn.  We have been trying to re-seed the grass, but I think it's just going to take time before it looks like a lawn again. 

On my playlist . . . 

This year in April, was our 48th wedding anniversary!  It's hard to believe that we have been married for almost 50 years!  I was a tender 18 years old when we got married and Bob was only 19 years old.  I don't think most people gave us a hope of making it even a year, let alone 48 years!  It has been an amazing journey to be married to my best friend for the last 48 years.  

What I'm thinking . . . This has been a hard few months for us.  Our grandson, Brody, left for his mission.  He is currently at the MTC (Mission Training Center), and will leave for Croatia at the end of May.  I already miss him, but he is doing so good!  He will be learning 3 languages . . . It's a good thing he's smart!

We also had some sadness in April.  Bob's brother passed away on Easter day, he was only 65 years old, he died of a heart attack.  He will be missed.  It's always hard to lose a sibling.  This photo was taken the day he got married . . . such a handsome young man.  He reminds me so much of Bob.

We also lost a little great-niece.  Lauryn had Rhett's syndrome, she was only 24 years old.  She passed away on April 3rd.  She was an amazing young woman who touched the life of many, many people with her beautiful little spirit and fun personality.  She will also be so very missed by her family who took such good care of her and loved her so much.  

Her father shared this quote at her funeral and I just loved it.  I'm not sure who the author is, I think the last name was, Williamson.  He made a copy and hung it in each of his children's bedrooms.  What an amazing quote, we should all feel this way.

“Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small does not serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won’t feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine, as children do. We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It’s not just in some of us; it’s in everyone. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.”

What I'm thankful for . . . I can't even begin to tell you what I am thankful for!  My family, my faith, the peace I feel here in this beautiful part of the country where I am so fortunate to live.  My health.  So many blessings in my life.  I've also had many challenges and heartbreak, but my blessing out weigh all of them.

Today is my daughters birthday, and I'm so thankful for her!  We were going to go have dinner with her, but she called last night and said that she was sick.  So it was birthday hugs and kisses over the phone.  She was born the day before Mother's Day in 1982 . . . the best Mother's Day gift ever!  HAPPY BIRTHDAY, sweet daughter!

Something I love . . . If you have followed my blog for any length of time, you will know how much I love day tripping with my husband.  A while back, we decided to go for a ride and ended up about 400 miles from home!  It was gorgeous, and well worth the trip.  Here are a few photos from that trip.  The big wide open skies of Idaho!  

Something I'm working on . . . I am working on decluttering and deep cleaning my house!  Sometimes it seems like and endless job, but one that needs to be maintained regularly and consistently . . . it's that consistent thing that gets me every time!  Out of sheer desperation I came up with a good schedule for weekly cleaning.  It works, and that's big for me!  I'll share it in a different post, but I say anything that works for you is a plus!  

What I'm wearing . . . My usual mom uniform - jeans, t-shirt, sandals.  I know, I'm very boring, but it's too early for my housecoat.  

Creating . . .  I'm working on creating space enough for me to set up and easel so I can start painting/drawing.  It's really something I love, and don't do enough of.  Soon I hope!

In the kitchen . . .  I'm going to be making these delicious Coconut Magic Bars for Mother's Day.  My daughter is hosting, so I'm going to bring something for dessert.  

Coconut Magic Bars

1/2 cup butter

1/4 cup light brown sugar, packed

2 cups graham cracker crumbs, approximately 15 to 16 full sheets

1 cup semi-sweet or milk chocolate chips

1 cup shredded sweetened coconut

3/4 cups pecans, coarsely chopped (I leave the nuts out and add a little more coconut)

1 2/3 cups sweetened condensed milk

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Crush graham crackers.  Stir the brown sugar into the graham crackers; set aside.  Put the 1/2 cup butter into an 8x8 baking pan; heat in the oven until butter in completely melted.  Remove from oven and immediately spread the graham cracker and brown sugar mixture over the melted butter. In layers, alternate the chocolate chips, coconut and pecans.  Evenly p9ur the sweetened condensed milk over the top.  Bake for 30 minutes or until the coconut is lightly browned.  Cool completely before cutting.  Yum!

I'm also bringing Banana Bars, these will be gone in minutes, they're so good!

  

Something to leave you with . . . Finally . . . the sunset!

Until next time - stay safe!

Hugs and Love,

Barb

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

My last daybook for 2022 . . .

Outside my window . . . It's cold!  With the windchill, the low on Thursday was -21 degrees.  On my weather station it said, -14 without the windchill.  Right now it's 8 degrees.  The week after Christmas it will be in the upper 30's, that will be such a wonderful change.  

I'm listening to . . .  So beautiful.  This is what Christmas is all about . . .

I'm thinking . . . The wedding is only 5 days away, and we are all so excited!  Our plan was to have a family party today, but my husband has the flu...poor guy, he's been so sick. We cancelled the party, and we're praying that he will be well for the wedding, and that I won't get the flu...I'm already feeling a yucky ;0(  I'm very worried about it, but I also can't change anything, all I can do is take lots of vitamin C and pray!  I'll miss having my family all here for Christmas, but I know this is the right thing to do.  

Speaking of the wedding, Taylor and Braedon had their bridal photos taken last week, here's a peek.  It was snowing and really cold that day, but these two didn't care, they are in love, and love conquers all, even snow and cold!

I'm thankful for . . . I'm so thankful and proud of my grandson, Brody, who has decided to go on a mission to serve the Lord, and the people in the Adriatic North Mission, for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. This mission takes in five European countries - Slovenia, Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Serbia and Montenegro.  We are excited for him and can't wait to watch him grow as he serves the Lord. He doesn't leave until March, so we all have a few months to soak it all in!!  

One of my favorite things . . .  This year I decided I would use my antique ornaments on my Christmas tree.  Some of them I have had since I got married 47 years ago.  Some are ornaments that my mother gave me - I remember them when I was a child.  Some of them were my step-fathers,  I don't remember them but they are beautiful and I love them, especially the little clip-on birds.  

I also love this cardboard Nativity.  When I was a little girl, our church gave each family one of these cardboard Nativity scenes to display in our homes.  A few years ago, the church came out with this new version of that same Nativity.  It's not quite the same, but I just love it, and all of the childhood memories I have of the original Nativity.  My mother used to put it up under the Christmas tree, it was so pretty.   

In the kitchen . . . Cinnamon Biscotti!

My family loves cinnamon biscotti!  I make it every year at Christmas, it's always  huge hit!  I love it with a cup of hot chocolate or a cup of  hot Pero, it's so good!  This is the recipe I have used for years, it always comes out perfect!  https://chocolatechocolateandmore.com/cinnamon-sugar-biscotti/  I hope you make it and enjoy it as much as we do.  I've also made several different kinds of candy, that will hopefully last a week or two since we're not having our family Christmas party.  I plan on making big plates of candy and delivering them to my kids either on Christmas day or on New Years day, along with their gifts.  

A thought to leave you with . . . 

“Christmas is a time for remembering the Son of God and renewing our determination to take upon us his name. It is a time to reassess our lives and examine our thoughts, feelings and actions. Let this be a time of remembrance, of gratitude and a time of forgiveness. Let it be a time to ponder the Atonement of Jesus Christ and its meaning for each of us personally. Let it especially be a time of renewal and recommitment to live by the word of God and to obey his commandments. By doing this, we honor him far more than we ever could with lights, gifts or parties.”

Dieter F. Uchtdorf

Have a wonderful few days before Christmas... Remember that you are so loved!! 

Be safe XOXO

Hugs and Love,

Barb