Puttin' on the Pitts

Quinoa Chicken Salad Recipe

2012-01-08T19:44:00.000-08:00

Laurence struggles with allergies. They are really pretty pronounced right now.

It is a daily challenge to find things he can eat.

This recipe is one he can eat and we liked.

I come up with a lot of recipes that he can eat, but perhaps don't taste so great.

QUINOA CHICKEN SALAD

1 C. quinoa rinsed

2 C. water

2 C. chicken salad (use your own favorite recipe) adding extra moisture

2 C. red or green seedless grapes, quartered

Directions

Rinse quinoa under cold running water and drain.

Bring 2 cups of water to a boil. Stir in quinoa and about 1/2 tsp garlic salt.

Reduce heat, cover and simmer until tender and most of liquid is absorbed,

that usually takes me at least 20 minutes.

Uncover and let cool.

(I put mine on a cookie sheet and put it outside in the January weather for quick cooling!)

In a large bowl mix together grapes, quinoa and chicken salad.

Serve at room temperature or chilled.

Things I would change if we didn't have allergies to worry about.

I would add onions, perhaps some kind of nuts for a crunch, however I used lots of celery.

I would also cook the quinoa in chicken stock,

but I was out of my own and I can't use packaged.

If you haven't tried quinoa; do it.

It's a seed from South America and is very healthy, not to mention,

something Laurence can eat!!

WHO AM I?

2011-10-20T18:54:00.000-07:00

I belong to blogging/photography groups on Facebook. Cricket Walker is the leader of these groups. An assignment she gave us some time ago was to write about the following: “WHO AM I?” I have given this a lot of thought since receiving the assignment. Cricket likes to give blogging assignments that are not easy, and make you think beyond the surface and trite.

I am a Mormon,(The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints) for each individual their religion has a different place in their life. For me, my religion defines who I am.

I am a daughter. Not only of my mother and father, but also of my Heavenly Father. He loves me and I love Him. I love my Father in Heaven and have complete faith in Him and His Son Jesus Christ.

I am a very, very blessed woman!! I waited until the ripe old age of 29 to marry for the first time; but when I did marry I hit the jackpot!! My husband is an incredible man who is so understanding of me, my family and all the attending idiosyncrasies. (No small task!)

I am a woman with an incredible daughter. I wish I had been half the woman she is when I was her age! I love her dearly! ♥

I am an emotional wimp!! Many people think that I am pretty tough and resilient. Nothing could be further from the truth. I just wear a great mask.

I am actually very sensitive. I get anxiety attacks easily. I want to cry frequently. I work hard at all that I do and take it very personally when I feel attacked or unappreciated.

I am a fighter for the underdog. You will always find me standing with the individual under attack (if the attack is unjustified). I really hate when people are given special privileges just because of who their friends/family are. Even as an adult, I seldom am close friends with the “popular” group, and I abhor cliques.

I value integrity. Tell me anything you want, but DO NOT LIE to me!! I may hold that against you forever.

I am a lover of all things artistic, whether it be arts and crafts, photography, dancing, music etc. I try my hand at many of them, but certainly know my limitations.

I am a teacher. I love teaching, especially high school age kids. I have taught church classes, stained glass classes, classes on food storage and preparation.

I am a woman who would like to have the opportunity to enjoy the “finer things of life”.

I am a prideful woman. I take great pride in my yard. It is very depressing to me when the yard is not beautiful.

I am a woman who likes to travel, see the world and eat seafood while doing it.

I LOVE all things Irish. The people, the country, the smells everything!! I lived in Ireland for 18 months while serving a mission for my church. There is no better way to learn to love people than to serve them.

I am a woman dependant on drugs….. yes, until I met my anti-depressants my life was much different. My husband makes sure I never run out.

WHO AM I? It probably depends on who you talk to....but this is how I see me.

10 THINGS I HAVE NEVER DONE!

2011-10-17T19:43:00.000-07:00

I belong to a group online that challenges you to increase your abilities with blogging and photography (and who knows what else will be next)! I really enjoy the group. The challenge this time is to make a list of 10 things you've never done and blog about it.

1. Gone to Tahiti…

· Before I had heard of bucket lists this was on my list. My whole life I have talked about going to Tahiti. So much so that when my daughter was little she thought it didn’t exist; sort of like never-never land.

2. Gotten drunk….

· This has never been on my bucket list. I’ve made it this many years without any alcohol in my system and I don’t have any desire to change it now. It’s actually one I’m proud of.

3. Driven a farm tractor…

· Yes, I grew up on a farm in Wyoming, but I have never driven a tractor. How did that happen? I have NO IDEA!

4. Spent an entire day on a beach…

· This has been on my bucket list for years it's something I truly long to do …. someday…

5. Gone hunting for wild game with a rifle…

· I love hunting wild game with a camera… in this part of the country where at this time of year everyone has a rifle in their pickup so they can go hunting after work we are sort of an anomaly.

6. Been in a protest march…

· Yes, it’s true. However, lately I sometimes wonder if I might do it.

7. Missed voting in a General Election since I reached voting age

· Even while I was in Ireland I had my mom send me an absentee ballot.

8. Been to the rose gardens in Vancouver, BC.

· I’ve wanted to do this for many, many years. Perhaps when we go to Alaska to see my sweetie’s family, or maybe next time we go to Washington to visit my family.

9. Learned to be organized and tidy

· This one actually bothers me a lot. I wish I had the money to have someone come in and organize me then come back weekly to make sure it stays that way.

10. Spent a day at a spa

· I think this would be so fun and relaxing, especially done with a good friend.

Fun at Walden Pond!!

2011-10-08T19:27:00.000-07:00

Thad and Kim live just a few minutes from Thoreau's Walden Pond.

Now this may be a pond in Massachusetts but in my area of the world it would be considered a lake.

A beautiful one at that!!

It is 102 feet deep at its deepest point and is 1.7 miles around it.
It is such a gorgeous pond!

Be sure to click on the picture to enlarge it.

It is so beautiful!!

Thad and Kim have the cutest kids!!
They are just adorable. Here is Talmage, Conlan and Madison playing on the beach.

Talmage surveying his kingdom.....

Conlan, Madison and Talmage posing for grandma.
I admit, I stole this from Viv. :) Thanks Viv!!

Laurence and Dave~~ Doing what they like best ~~ READING!!
No wonder they get along so well!!
Viv showing mom pictures that Aisling posted on facebook from Germany.

I love that they can both be so happy with their electronic toys.
Next on Laurence's list will probably be an iPad.

Kim with Grayson..... you can't see much of him, but he was sure happy!!

Talmage is such a fun little boy!!
(I took this for Aisling, she has a crush on him... LOL)

Me and Laurence

Thus ends our day at Walden Pond!
Thanks so much Kim and Thad for such a wonderful day.

Headed Out from Baltimore....

2011-10-08T15:25:00.000-07:00

Prior to the show Viv decided she was going to send care packages to her soldiers; Erick, Tera's husband and Zachary, Sage's husband. We all had fun trying to get all we could for their care packages. Aisling was the very best at that!!

Viv and Aisling emptying out our "STASH" on the bed.
Can you believe everything we got.
Not everything would fit in the boxes.

The "stash" is sorted and ready to go into the individual boxes for our soldiers,
Erick and Zachary.

Our last dinner with Aisling, she wouldn't let me take her pic so I took pictures of Laurence, Viv & Dave.
We went to a really cool little restaurant in Annapolis, Maryland down on the pier.

Aisling headed to security at the BWI airport....
Off she headed for her German adventure...

The following day after we mailed the packages we headed out to Thad & Kim's. They live on the Air Force Base near Boston. It was a beautiful drive.

But here is what we really went for......

GRANDMA hugs!!
Mom, Dave, Viv, baby Grayson, and Kim.

♫♪ Food, Glorious Food!! ♪♫

2011-10-05T21:21:00.000-07:00

Every trip to the coast requires seafood!!

This was no exception.

Aisling found a restaurant she wanted to go to.

She called for reservations and we were delighted to find that because

they are located in Little Italy and there is no parking there

they come to the Inner Harbor hotels and pick you up!!

Viv was thrilled to not have to drive down there.

This is what both Aisling and I ordered.
Yummy!!
The food was so yummy and there was so much of it!

Mom had pasta with mussels and other seafood.
She said it was really really good.

AFTER THE PARTY'S OVER!!

Dinner was delicious, but it really needed a little bit of sweet to follow....
We wanted to be sure we didn't disturb any of the guests
as we tip-toed down stairs to the restaurant.

Oh Yes, we do know how to live!!!
Lemon Coconut Cake with ice cream!!
Aisling had Chocolate Volcano Cake with Ice Cream!!

The View from the Hotel

Out our window you could see the convention center on the left,
the sports museum in the middle and
Camden Yards on the right.

We were sorry that the team was out of town all week.
Aisling would have loved to take in a game!!

COOL CAKE!!

2011-10-02T20:42:00.000-07:00

Remember Duff Goldman from Charm City Cakes?
It's a food network show "Ace of Cakes" based in Baltimore.
He made this cool cake!!
I was in the elevator with it and didn't even realize it was a cake.
This booth was selling coconut oil and they had this cake made like their logo
then they served cake that he made with the coconut oil.
I had Carrot Cake and Aisling had Spice Cake.
They were divine!!

After a very long day setting up we headed over to the

Inner Harbor for dinner.

Laurence and I with the USS Constitution in the background.

Aisling and Grandma waiting on the bench.
Viv and Dave had gone to get the car so
we wouldn't have a long walk uphill to get to the hotel.
They are to good to us!! (And I LOVE it!!)

BALTIMORE.....

2011-10-02T19:17:00.000-07:00

We went to Baltimore for the Health Food show.... It began wonderfully.

No self-respecting trip to the east coast could possibly begin with anything but fish n chips.

These were WONDERFUL!!

I LOVE good fish & chips with malt vinegar.

One of my many loves I gained on my mission to Ireland.

Day One~~ Set up Day

Mom in definately the Queen Bee
She keeps us all in line.

Dave was the man of the hour; anything you needed done he would do it.
We must have needed him to look handsome at this time. :)

Viv, the ever ready bunny go-getter.... does she EVER rest???
I love getting to do the shows with her and Dave.

This is what everything looks like when we start.
Aisles filled with freight boxes, and the only thing in our booth is a piece of carpet.
Usually set-up takes just a few hours, but we had several complications this year and it ended up taking us a long day.

Then the magic happens~~~~

Shazam

By 10 a.m. the following day we're ready to sell....
Are you ready to buy???

Labor Day on the Big Horns!

2011-09-09T08:25:00.000-07:00

Friday we went up on the Big Horns. We had a such a delightful time AND a delightful surprise.

We spent the night Friday then went to Billings Saturday morning where we got to spend the day in the temple.

Arriving back on the mountain Saturday evening we did little before heading to bed.

How delighted were we when we woke up the next morning to find my niece Betsy was camped across the road from us! We had seen their camper, but had no idea it was hers, she had never seen our camper either.

Sunset over the Big Horns

Betsy
We got to eat a couple of meals with Betsy and her family!

Betsy and Jack
Jack cut his finger.

Colton and his beagle
I think this is a perfect picture of the 21st century boy and his dog!!

Ty and Shelby
Getting everything ready to re-load the 4-wheelers

Shelby
These kids are pro's on their 4-wheelers!

Laurence
Keeping up the Pitt tradition.... the man does the cooking while camping!
We are coming to absolutely LOVE our volcano cooker.

Bacon
Cooked perfectly on the volcano cooker!

No camping trip is complete without a campfire!!

ROOTS
"Have you found your roots yet?"
"Where do your roots lead you?"

We ran onto this little guy in the forest. He just ran up the tree, sat there until I snapped a few pictures then away he went! Guess he has dreams of Hollywood!! There would be plenty of nuts there!!

Splash Dams

This is a splash dam.
It was built in about 1905.
The logs were rolled into the water above the dam then when the conditions were right the gate was opened and the logs were washed to small ponds near a flume entrance. From there they were washed down the flume to the mill near Dayton Wyoming.

Logs at the base of the Splash Dam

Unfortunately I don't have pictures of our other surprise. Kent, Jason, Ruth (Jason's friend), Gene and Ginny came to visit. I thought they were going to be staying longer than they did and they were gone before I thought to take out the camera.

The end of a wonderful summer!!

Dutch Oven Enchilada Casserole

2011-09-09T07:33:00.000-07:00

We have made this Enchilada Casserole two times while vacationing, and both times I forgot to take pictures. So, I took this after it was half gone. The picture isn't very good, but trust me the enchilada casserole was super!!

Enchilada Casserole

2 pounds hamburger browned with

1/2 Cup dried onion

1 can tomato soup (10 oz.)

2 cans enchilada sauce (10 oz.)

3/4 pound shredded cheese (I used cheddar jack)

6 large four tortillas

Sour Cream

In a 12 inch Dutch oven, cook ground beef and onion. Remove from oven and place in a large bowl. Stir in the soup and sauce. In the oven place a 1/4 inch of sauce. Cover this mixture with a layer of flour tortillas, tearing to cover. Cover tortillas with cheese.

Place another layer of sauce, tortillas and cheese, repeating until all the mixture is used. Top with cheese. Place lid on Dutch oven and bake for 35-40 minutes, or until mixture is bubbling and heated through.

Serve with sour cream.

Fun Times in Bozeman!!

2011-08-28T23:08:00.000-07:00

We have been in Bozeman, Montana for the past few days.

We came to get a new daughter (in-law that is).

William (Bill) got married to Deza Rae.

We are a lucky family!!

These are the pictures that I took that are unrelated to the wedding, but show the beauty here.

Bear Canyon Campground, the parking place for our home on wheels!!
It's a nice campground and has been easily accessible for the wedding etc.

Beautiful fireweed beside the Gallatin River.

Alongside one of the creeks there were many little mini-meadows filled with joint grass.
Such fun memories of playing with joint grass as a child.

Laurence took me on a drive and for a picnic up in the mountains.
He is so good to me and is always trying to ease the tension and stress in my life.

I wish I knew the name of this mountain. All I know is that it is inside Yellowstone Park.

I wish I knew the name of this plant.
It's oversized red berries fascinate me.

The beautiful stream in the Spire campground.

More of that same stream.
I am so fascinated by water!!

William Gets Married

2011-08-27T21:12:00.000-07:00

August 27th, 2011

William Laurence Pitt married Deza Rae Meidinger

The happy couple!

Jordan (Shirl's son), Shirl, Sidney, Laurence, William, Deza Rae

Jordan and his beautiful mother Shirl

Shirl and her Daddy...

Sidney and her grandson Jordan

May they have many, many happy years to come.

2011-08-27T20:08:00.000-07:00

Last week we had the opportunity to go to Lander Wyoming and visit Laurence's family.

What a fun time!

We camped in Sinks Canyon. Monday night Teesha and Rheanna came up for dinner with us.

Tuesday Tanny and Orley took us up the mountain. What a fun drive!

We also got to spend part of Tuesday with Mila. In the evening we had dinner with Tanny and Mila. Orley had meetings and Mike wasn't back from work yet.

I forgot to take pictures of Mila, Mike, Tanny and Orley; but here are a few of Teesha and Rheanna. It was so delightful to see everyone!!

Laurence, Teesha and Rheanna
Those s'mores sure were yummy!! :)

Laurence and Rheanna
No one loves their grandkids more than he does!

Teesha and Rheanna

Yep, caught Teesha with one of those yummy s'mores!!

Rheanna got grandpa to help her with lots of s'mores....
wonder how she slept that night??

The Popo Agie River, flowing through the Sinks Canyon

Wind River Peak, the third highest mountain peak in Wyoming.

Friday's Find

2011-08-08T09:39:00.000-07:00

I really enjoy attending garage sales...

We don't have many in Colstrip,
but I go when I can.

Friday I found this cute oil lamp.

The guy selling it was just wanting to move

and was selling things quite inexpensively.

This one cost me $2.

I like oil lamps and have a very small collection of them.

I just wish I knew as much about them as

my dear sister-in-law Glenda.

Our Maiden Voyage

2011-07-31T21:38:00.000-07:00

A few weeks ago we bought a 5th wheel camper. This weekend was our Maiden Voyage to the Big Horn Mountains. After some help from Laurence's brother Glenn on the phone and our neighbor Dan we made it out of the yard. We camped at Tie Flume Campground. I can tell that I am TERRIBLE at giving directions for him to back into a site......

Thanks to a camping neighbor that felt sorry for the horrible instructions I was giving Laurence we made it into the spot and got it very level.

We slept well, then when I took a shower we noticed water on the floor.....
In the most inconvenient place Laurence located the leak under the sink...
fortunately it was just a bad connection that was quickly fixed.
By the way, I want to trade this shower for my shower in the house!!

Laurence needed practice setting up the generator so
I allowed him to set up the small generator so I could blow-dry my hair.
What a champ!! He did it without a hitch!! :)

Because I am oh so generous, I allowed Laurence to fix breakfast.
He was able to figure out how to light the stove.
He did well at that once we figured out that you just turn the dial, it's already lit.
Besides my generosity, there is another reason for this... it is a Pitt TRADITION
(so I am told by Glenda and Carmen) that the Pitt men do all the cooking while camping.
Who am I to mess with TRADITION?

The day was beautiful, this is the river by our campsite.

We drove around the mountain top looking at possible places to camp.
It is allowed in the Big Horn National Forest
for you to camp many places that are not campgrounds
as long as you are at least 1/4 mile away from the road.
We will be back very soon!!

GIANT SPRINGS STATE PARK

2011-07-29T19:23:00.000-07:00

While in Great Falls with Glenn and Glenda we visited the Giant Springs State Park.

I have lived in Montana for nearly 25 years and I didn't know that this wonderful treasure existed! It is the most beautiful state park I have seen in Montana.

The entrance to the state park. It is a part of the Lewis and Clark Trail.

Water seeps into the ground South East of Great Falls in the Little Belt Mountains.
The water travels through limestone formations toward Giant Springs.
In the Springs area, the formation is 400' below the surface

Pressure caused by overlying rock layers force the water to escape upward.
It takes less than 50 years for water to flow from the Little Belt Mountains to the Giant Springs Area.

This creates the shortest river in the country.
The "Roe" River. It is 201' long and flows into the
longest river in the country, the Missouri River.
The Missouri River is 2,540 Miles long.

The water from the spring have been tested and found very pure.
It maintains a constant 54 degrees year-round.

Glenda, Glenn
Aisling, Laurence

These cute Canadian Geese were strolling across the road.
What a great place to winter and summer.
They are just a ways downstream from Giant Springs.

I guess he was feeling a little anti-social.

This beautiful Pelican was on the other side of the river.
A test of the zoom on my new camera.

Just down from the springs was this hydro-electric dam.
I loved the rock formations.

This is out of Great Falls a ways.
It is the true "Great Falls". The hydro-electric dam here was built on top of the falls.

Just below the Great Falls dam there was a beautiful park on an island.
This is just below there.
I can't thank Glenn and Glenda enough for making this trip happen!
We had talked about doing it many times, but I'm afraid that without their visit it never would have happened.

wHiTe WaTeR RaFtInG in West Glacier!!

2011-07-25T11:14:00.000-07:00

In West Glacier we went White Water Rafting.

I had never gone before,

but if I have anything to say about it

it will not be my last time!

I am so glad that Glenda and Aisling really wanted to go.

Because of how high and cold the water still was

we had to wear wet-suits.

Boy are those flattering.... NOT!

These pictures were all taken by Glenda.

She has a waterproof camera. Thanks Glenda!!

Glenn and Laurence were the lead men in the raft.
In retrospect, Laurence wasn't feeling well. Aisling probably should have done it.

My wonderful daughter!!
She even looks gorgeous in a wet-suit and life-vest!

The water was beautiful. So green as it is melt from the glaciers.
Gotta love Laurence's favorite hat!

Laurence and I, no glamour here!

Belton Bridge over the Middlefork of the Flathead River
I have other pictures that I took later from the bridge itself.
The bridge is now only a footbridge.

More of the beautiful scenery!

Our group: Glenn, Laurence, J.T. (our guide), Aisling....
I think I was off star-gazing...

East Glacier Park

2011-07-24T21:12:00.000-07:00

We went to the East Side of Glacier, to St. Mary, Montana. It was a delightful trip. We had to go around the park, because the Road to the Sun road was too difficult for a 5th wheel to be pulled. (Not and still have Glenn and Laurence's hearts still beating properly.) It actually is restricted to a 21' total length.

Just inside the park from St. Mary.

This is the KOA Campground we stayed in. I wouldn't recommend the KOA,
but the view is totally AWESOME!!

The day we were up at the Visitor's Center on Logan Pass was the first day the Road to the Sun was open for the season.
They told us that this is the latest opening they have ever had.

We met this guy at the Logan Pass Visitor's Center.
It is the first time I have ever gotten a picture of a
Big Horn Sheep, and only the 2nd time I've ever seen one in the wild.

A glacier on the side of the mountain.

Billy Goat's Gruff??? A mountain goat we saw along the side of the road...

Sunrift Gorge

Swift water below Sunrift Gorge

Just below Sunrift Gorge, it is so beautiful there.
I started to hike down stream a bit when some people stopped me and told me not to go on down unless I had pepper spray for bears as they had just encountered one on the trail. I decided I didn't need pictures that bad.

More of the waters below Sunrift Gorge

Laurence's Wonderful brother and his Awesome wife; Glenn and Glenda

Two brothers just enjoying the trip and the company!
Glenn and Laurence

Can you believe he still puts up with me???
Sidney and Laurence

Those two amigos once again.....

There were so many waterfalls, you couldn't even begin to count!
I think partially it is due to the heavy snowpack and now all the run-off.
But it surely made for BEAUTIFUL SCENERY!!

A Day At Glacier National Park

2011-07-21T21:25:00.000-07:00

Warning to one and all...... Photography Overload!!
While in West Glacier we took the shuttle as far up the Going to the Sun road as we could. The road was not open yet. This was actually great for us. We had the opportunity of walking further up the road past where the shuttles stopped. So fun!!
Laurence bought me a new camera on this trip. I love it. By doing this it made it so I gave him back his camera. He loves that!! However, it makes for 2X as many pictures!! So cool!

Glenn and Glenda on the shuttle up the mountain. We were lucky.... we had seats!

Heavens Peak was a beautiful mountain peak, highlighted right where we got off the shuttle.

More Heavens Peak

Heavens Peak.... Can you tell we liked it?!

Pretty little waterfall with columbine growing in the rocks

Walking up there were so many waterfalls right at the road.
The water was so cool and refreshing.... take a drink Glenda!!

One of the many beautiful views!

About this time Laurence and I fizzled out.
Laurence doesn't walk well, so I elected to hang out with him.
Aisling, Glenn and Glenda continued on.

These pictures Aisling took as they continued up the road.

More views. I am so glad I sent my camera with Aisling!!

The views are awesome.
Aisling said that Uncle Glenn told her that he has been in the Alps
and these are just as beautiful.

Glenda and Glenn at one of the beautiful waterfalls.
At this point Glenda was having terrific problems with her feet,
so she let Glenn and Aisling go on with out her.

My wonderful Aisling at the waterfall

Aisling and Glenn made it as far as they were allowed to go.
Bird Woman Falls

Bird Woman Falls, so beautiful!!

Definately the end of the road!

Montana Sapphires and Phillipsburg

2011-07-18T20:37:00.000-07:00

We left Colstrip and headed (with some extra stops) to Phillipsburg, Montana.

We had read you could "sift" for

Montana Sapphires there.

While in Phillipsburg we went to Granite, Montana.

It is now a ghost town. At one time it had over 3,000 residents.

It was a silver mining town.

The drive up there was beautifully scary!

I sure was glad I wasn't driving.

The view from Granite

One of the buildings at Granite.
I don't remember what it used to be.

Laurence and his little brother Glenn in front of the bank.
It had amazingly thick walls.

The Granite Silver Mine

Laurence and I

Aisling

Union Hall

Laurence in front of Union Hall

And We're Off to Search for Sapphires!

The streams and rivers in Montana can't be beat!

They give (sell) you a bucket of gravel, you take small amounts
and wash it in the water trough.
Aisling is on the left.

Glenn and Glenda sifting through the gravel in search of sapphires.
We found many, but most were too small to be able to do anything with them. But it was still a ton of fun!!!

Glenda, Aisling, Laurence and Glenn
Sifting through the gravel for sapphires.

This is really a huge enterprise

This was quite a surprise to me.
An LDS (Mormon) Chapel right outside our trailer door.

Annie Oakley Watch Out!

2011-07-18T17:40:00.000-07:00

Laurence's brother Glenn and his wife Glenda have been visiting.

Glenn is very involved in Royal Rangers. Royal Rangers is similiar to Boy Scouts, it is through their church. Glenn has been an instructor for many, many years and is very adept at many things.

Here he is teaching Laurence the art of Tomahawk throwing.
Glenn is very, very good at it!!

After throwing tomahawks we went to the rifle range.

We always shoot black powder.
Here is Glenn testing out one of his many rifles.

Aisling shooting the pistol that she got for her birthday.
She's pretty good with it.

Aisling trying the rifle that Glenn bought for Laurence along the way.
We love that Glenn looks out for us as he hits pawn shops and the like.
This is a 54 Caliber White Mountain Carbine Rifle

I shot the rifle next. This is where my shot hit.
I was pretty proud of myself.

Glenda shooting the pistol.
This is her first time ever shooting black powder.
She did great!!

Glenda with Laurence's rifle.

Glenda's shot was right next to mine.
Watch out Annie Oakley!!

Laurence shooting the pistol

We had such a good time!!

Love it when Glenn and Glenda come to town!!

We hope they come again soon!!

On the Road to Retirment!

2011-07-18T13:06:00.000-07:00

We have been looking for a 5th Wheel RV for a while now.
Laurence's brother Glenn and his wife Glenda have been here visiting for a while.
While they were here Glenda found this one on Craig's list for us.

We feel very blessed to have gotten it.
The people we bought it from took immaculate care of it.
This is the living room & kitchen area.

This is the computer/entertainment area.
The owners kept the trailer so spotless that it still smells new.

The kitchen area.
The owners never wore shoes in the trailer.
We were the first people to ever wear shoes in it.
The rug inside the door is white. (That will be quick to be replaced:)

Look at those gorgeous laminate floors. They are so beautiful!

Bedroom with a queen sized bed.

Doesn't this shower look incredible?
I can hardly wait to use it. Great for shaving your legs!! ;)
Thanks so much for finding it for us Glenda, and thanks to both of you for helping to make it happen with all of your expertise!

Fort Robinson State Park Nebraska

2011-06-27T13:36:00.000-07:00

Laurence's brother Glenn and his wife Glenda are traveling this summer celebrating retirement in their RV. We spent this weekend with them at Fort Robinson, Nebraska. Fort Robinson is a few miles outside Crawford Nebraska. I can't begin to tell you how much I enjoyed being with them.

Hot Springs, South Dakota
In the middle of downtown.
On the way to Nebraska

We took a Jeep trip that was SO FUN!!
Glenda, Glenn, Laurence and I from the overlook.
Can you tell the wind is blowing?

Fort Robinson was built in the 1870's.
Initially it was used to imprison members of the Lakota Tribe and the Northern Cheyenne Tribe.
Chief Crazy Horse and Chief Dull Knife were killed here.
Later it was used to breed horses for the calvary then to train dogs for the K-9 Unit.
During WWII it was used to house German Prisoners of War.
It was made a State Park in 1955.

They have a herd of donkeys and a herd of buffalo at the Fort.

Turtle Rock

There was a whole meadow of wild roses.
What an incredibly wonderful rose smell.

Aisling and Laurence from the overlook.

A Gold Star for Me!

2011-06-19T12:10:00.000-07:00

Awwww Garage Saling..... Love it!!

Colstrip is a small town, usually only 4-5 garage sales on a VERY GOOD weekend... But is seems like I'm always able to find something that really strikes my fancy!

Yesterday I found two candle lamps. (I don't know what they are really called).
I like them and I particularly like it when I can get things that are part of Family Preparedness and something I want to add to my home. Talk about a double bonus!!

AND I even got something for Laurence!!
He has been using planks for years to load the rototiller, lawnmower etc. into the pickup.
They're in perfect shape and only cost $10.00!!
WooHoo!!

You Know You're In Montana IF.....

2011-06-14T19:11:00.000-07:00

Aisling got her black powder pistol for her birthday. It's been hard to get out with it because of all the rain. This is the second time we've been able to go to the shooting range.

We have a nice shooting range just out by the lake.

We are using the short range for the pistols. There are two others. We're anxious to go here with Uncle Glenn when he gets here!

Aisling adding the powder to her firing chamber.

Aisling and her dad... he didn't ever hit the target, but Aisling hit it several times.
What a fun time!!
Ooops did I forget to mention that Laurence didn't load his gun.....(devilish grin!)

'Tis the Season.... for Garage Sales!

2011-06-11T18:50:00.000-07:00

I know, you're not that impressed with a fabric lined sewing basket. But... This is what it turned into...

I think this is such a Lovely flower pot!!

Today's Finds!

2011-06-10T19:26:00.000-07:00

I Love Yard Sales!!
Vintage bobbins were today's haul.
Love them, and I know we'll love them in Nauvoo!!

This cute little lantern just begged to come home with me.
It's not old, it's not even "real", but it was cute. :)

♥ Happy Birthday Aisling ♥

2011-06-06T10:23:00.000-07:00

♥ AISLING'S BIRTHDAY ♥

♥ JUNE 3rd ♥

Aisling turned 22 last week---
Annette (aka her "other" mom) gave her a great
Cream Cheese cookbook

Her father (and I) gave her a Colt 45 Black Powder Revolver Pistol.
Watch out Uncle Glenn!!
(She really is excited about it, but her dad had just told her to be careful as he had it half loaded---- ooops!)

A GPS.
She'd like to do some traveling this summer, so this will come in really handy.

Garage Sale Time!!

2011-06-05T15:51:00.000-07:00

Yesterday Laurence and I went to the temple in Billings.
We always leave home a little early so we can hit a few garage sales on the way into town.
Laurence was disappointed..... Trust me-- I was not!!
Neither of these are particularly old,
but I liked them anyway.
The one on the right is a candle on a spring that moves it up as it burns.
I am hoping that my dear sister-in-law Glenda
can tell me more....

The Crossbills are Back in Town!!

2011-06-01T08:24:00.000-07:00

Every summer the White-Winged and Red Crossbills

come to visit.

I love them, but they are hard on the feeders.

Notice all my finch feeders are metal

screen instead of the fabric ones. This is because the crossbills are murder on the fabric feeders.

Unlike finches, these guys have bills that overlap.

I am so proud of this picture of a
female white-winged crossbill.
Notice her tongue whipping out to grab the seed.

The male White-winged Crossbill. Much more colorful.

Notice how their bills overlap instead of meeting like most birds do.

Yellowstone River at Forsyth

2011-05-25T10:22:00.000-07:00

Last Saturday (May 21st) Aisling and I took a drive over to Forsyth to see the "flooding". I posted some pictures of it the other day. The above picture is one I took from the north side of the Yellowstone looking over at the west boatdock. At the time, the water was just encroaching on the parking area above the boatdock, (it's in about the center of the picture).
Below is an arial picture that was posted on the Rosebud County Search and Rescue Facebook page of basically the same area only 2 days later.

A New Guest

2011-05-22T11:07:00.000-07:00

This guy showed up with a friend this week.

The two of them would never pose together for me.

He is a Black-Headed Grosbeak.

According to the books he is indigenous to this area, but I've not seen them around here before.

The book says that they are quite tame and sometimes will take food from your hand.

That would be fun!!

Montana Flooding 2011

2011-05-21T20:41:00.000-07:00

Today Aisling and I went for a drive to take pictures of the flooding between here and Forsyth. These pictures were all taken between here and the freeway. (about 20 miles)

This picture and the one below were taken of the same place.

The above one was taken May 21st and the bottom one was taken May 7th.

The above picture was taken near Armells Creek.

Armells Creek is usually just a tiny little creek with pasture on either side.

Water rushing from one of the fields. Will it be over the road by morning? Perhaps.

It is still raining.....

This is the water as it crosses West Armells Creek. I believe it has closed the road.

If it hasn't those of good judgement should avoid it anyway...

ARMED FORCES DAY~~ May 21st 2011

2011-05-21T09:38:00.000-07:00

President Harry S. Truman led the effort to establish a single holiday for citizens to come together and thank our military members for their patriotic service in support of our country.
On August 31, 1949, Secretary of Defense Louis Johnson announced the creation of an Armed Forces Day to replace separate Army, Navy, Marine Corps and Air Force Days. The single-day celebration stemmed from the unification of the Armed Forces under one department -- the Department of Defense

My niece Carmen posted on her blog about today being Armed Forces Day. I didn't know that it was today. I wish I could fly my flag to honor those wonderful men and women, but it is raining buckets here. So, here is where I will fly my flag today. I am so grateful for all that these men, women and their brave families do and have given so that I can sit here complacently doing as I wish. Worshipping, speaking, thinking as I wish. Going out target practicing if I wish and on and on.
We are particularly thankful and proud of our own family members who have served or are serving. THANK YOU!!

Here is a little more information from Wikipedia.
"In the United States, Armed Forces Day is celebrated on the third Saturday in May. It falls near the end of Armed Forces Week, which begins on the second Saturday of May and ends on the third Sunday of May.^[15]
The day was created in 1949 to honor Americans serving in the five U.S. military branches – the Army, Navy, Marines, Air Force, and Coast Guard – following the consolidation of the military services in the Department of Defense. It was intended to replace the separate Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps, and Coast Guard Days, but the separate days are still observed, especially within the respective services.^[16]
The first Armed Forces Day was celebrated by parades, open houses, receptions and air shows. In 1962, President Kennedy established Armed Forces Day as an official holiday. The United States' longest running city-sponsored Armed Forces Day Parade is held in Bremerton, Washington. In 2009, Bremerton celebrated the 61st Armed Forces Day Parade(^[17]).
Because of their unique training schedules, National Guard and Reserve units may celebrate Armed Forces Day/Week over any period in May."

Visual Words of Wisdom Challenge

2011-05-09T18:49:00.000-07:00

I am participating in a new photo challenge for the month of May. This one has quotes that you then have to take a picture to go with. The picture must be taken by me in the month of May. This one will be tougher, but fun!! I'm looking forward to it!! Lucky for me they don't have to be in any specific order... YEAH!!

#10 “I took the road less traveled by, and that has made all the difference.” Robert Frost

This looks to me so much like someone back in the 1800's had to make a choice, and they chose to quit moving west right here.

“When you walk to the edge of all the light you have and take that first step into the darkness of the unknown, you must believe that one of two things will happen. There will be something solid for you to stand upon or you will be taught to fly.” Patrick Overton
“Remember there’s no such thing as a small act of kindness. Every act creates a ripple with no logical end.” Scott Adams
“Holding on to anger is like grasping a hot coal with the intent of throwing it at someone else; you are the one who gets burned.” Buddha.
“Kindness is the language which the deaf can hear and the blind can see.” Mark Twain
“Don’t walk in front of me; I may not follow. Don’t walk behind me; I may not lead. Just walk beside me and be my friend.” Albert Camus
“The difference between friends and pets is that friends we allow into our company, pets we allow into our solitude.” Robert Brault
“Within you there is a stillness and a sanctuary to which you can retreat at any time and be yourself.” Hermann Hesse
“When you photograph people in colour you photograph their clothes. But when you photograph people in B&W, you photograph their souls!” Ted Grant
“Obstacles are things a person sees when he takes his eyes off his goal.” E. Joseph Cossman
“I took the road less traveled by, and that has made all the difference.” Robert Frost
“They may forget what you said, but they will never forget how you made them feel.” Carl W. Buechner

Horses...

2011-05-09T13:14:00.000-07:00

Last week my cousins, Dave and Viv were here. We went for several drives. I had a goal of taking some nice pictures for my niece of colts. Of course this would be the one time I wouldn't see many colts and mostly the ones I did see were not where I could take pictures of them.

Regardless, these postings are dedicated to Carmen's "Little Lady" and her brothers and sister.

Photography Scavenger Hunt... #9 Bread

2011-04-30T17:09:00.000-07:00

#9 BREAD
This was a hard one for me to do.
So many different choices.
I would have loved a picture of my mother's homemade bread.
Not an option. This is where/how I get mine. :)

Photography Scavenger Hunt... #8 PEACE

2011-04-30T14:47:00.000-07:00

#8 PEACE
Only in a household where your daughter had an awesome History of the 60's teacher would you still find these fun graphics!

Photography Scavenger Hunt... #1 JOY

2011-04-29T20:27:00.000-07:00

#1 JOY
Last weekend Laurence bought a new pickup.
The man-toy every man wants:)
And who gets the most "JOY" out of it?
That would be Aisling. She has driven it far, far more and is ready to trade in her little Focus for a TRUCK!!

Photography Scavenger Hunt... #11 RANDOM

2011-04-29T20:00:00.000-07:00

#11 RANDOM
I am always fascinated by the sandstone formations in the area we live.
They are always so "random" no two alike.
This is across the street from our home.

Photography Scavenger Hunt... #10 ANIMAL

2011-04-29T19:44:00.000-07:00

#10 ANIMAL
Everyone is headed to the chuckwagon...
in one way or another!!
Love all the spring babies!

Photography Scavenger Hunt... #5 DARK

2011-04-29T18:25:00.000-07:00

In view of the current weather in our southern states I hesitate to post this.
This is a view of "dark" clouds. These clouds coming from the west to my house usually leads a storm.
I wonder what it's bringing.... this morning it was snow but the sun melted that this afternoon.

Photography Scavenger Hunt... #2 EYE

2011-04-28T20:27:00.000-07:00

BEHOLD THE EYE........

....Of the Potato!

Photography Scavenger Hunt... #13 SERVICE

2011-04-27T20:48:00.000-07:00

#13 SERVICE
The service that has been rendered over the years in innumerable...
(My apologies to a certain little boy that it is not a John Deere!)

Photography Scavenger Hunt... #15 COMMUNICATION

2011-04-27T20:30:00.000-07:00

COMMUNICATION ~~
In Montana we call it the way we see it!

Photography Scavenger Hunt... #14 CONCRETE

2011-04-25T20:15:00.000-07:00

#14 CONCRETE
Newly poured concrete at our Post Office.
Yeah Us!!

Photography Scavenger Hunt... #3 WOOD

2011-04-25T19:57:00.000-07:00

#3 WOOD... I love collecting old things.
This is an old Wooden Nail Keg

Photography Scavenger Hunt... #7 PRIDE

2011-04-25T19:31:00.000-07:00

This is my wonderful neighbor Ingrid. She is one of the best grandma's ever!!
She is so proud of her grandkids, and I caught her here with her oldest granddaughter.

Photography Scavenger Hunt... #4 LIFE

2011-04-25T11:27:00.000-07:00

Nearest real shopping: 120 miles

Nearest real medical: 120 miles

This IS my life!!

Photography Scavenger Hunt.... #6 WATER

2011-04-25T09:34:00.000-07:00

Continuing on with my V7N Photo Scavenger Hunt.

This is my picture of water.

Hard Water in this case:)

Photography Scavenger Hunt... #12 WEATHER

2011-04-21T08:09:00.000-07:00

I am participating in a photography scavenger hunt. It is for the month of April and you have to take all of the pictures yourself and can only take them during this month. (No cheating with old ones:)

There are 15 Categories. I am really just getting started. We've had so much going on around here that I'm a bit behind. Now I'm going to come up from behind in a blaze... LOL

The category I chose was WEATHER. This is what things looked like in Forsyth on Tuesday April 19, 2011

Hot Flashes...No More.......

2011-03-31T08:41:00.000-07:00

There are many introductions I am extremely grateful for. Each for a different reason.

I'm grateful my cousin introduced me to Pralines and Cream Ice Cream at Baskin Robbins.
I'm grateful for the individuals that introduced my wonderful husband and I.

But.....

Right now I'm extremely grateful to my dear friend Minda who has introduced me to Arbonne Essentials Phyto Relief! What a LIFESAVER!!

It says that it is a light, greaseless, botanically based cream that's conveniently packaged with an easy, pre-metered pump.

All I know is that when I use it, I DON'T HAVE HOT FLASHES!! If I forget for a couple of days the hot flashes are back. Laurence is grateful to Minda as well. I no longer throw all the covers on him and then take all of mine and his as well back later.

I told Minda about my misery and she immediately send me two bottles of the cream. What a sweetheart!! I told her I'm in love all over again! I'm not sure which I love more, her for sharing it or the cream for doing it's job!

Yeah Minda! Yeah Cream!

Yeah Me!!

The Mr. comes to visit

2011-03-28T21:19:00.000-07:00

In January I put on a picture of Mrs. Downey Woodpecker. I keep forgetting to take a picture of Mr...
Here he is. So pretty. Love the little red on his head. He just sat there letting me get closer and closer, finally he flew away when I was about 6 feet away from him. Guess that suet is just too alluring!!

Stepping Back in Time (or Catching Up)

2011-03-20T19:20:00.000-07:00

We were in Utah a couple of weeks ago. I am just now getting these pictures posted. This is of a day I went to downtown Salt Lake to have lunch with a dear friend from high school, Virlene Norton Hirschi. We had lunch at The Garden, a restaurant in the top of the Joseph Smith Building. The Joseph Smith Building used to be Hotel Utah, and has been remodeled into a fantastic building with restaurants, a small family history library, a beautiful lobby, etc. Lunch was so delightful that I forgot to take any pictures. These are the pictures I took earlier that day.

The Salt Lake Temple, this picture was taken from the window of
The Garden Restaurant.

This picture of the Salt Lake Temple was also taken from The Garden, just a different window.
There are some bridal parties on the sidewalk in front of the temple taking wedding pictures. This is where Laurence and I were married 24 1/2 years ago.

Another angle on the Salt Lake Temple. This is taken from the Observation Deck of the LDS Church office building. They do great tours there!

This miniature replication of the Salt Lake Temple is in the South Visitor's Center on Temple Square.
It was made by a company out of Toronto. It is amazing to look at. This was my first time to see it.

While I was there the gardens and gardeners were so busy! I know it will be OUTSTANDING the first weekend of April for General Conference. When I was 21, preparing to go on my mission to Ireland I met with the head gardener for the church; Peter Lassig. He invited me to work with him when I returned from my mission. I didn't ever take him up on that. It surely would have been an amazing experience.

During the summer they do tours of the gardens on temple square and the area. I surely would like to go on one of those sometime!

The Utah State Capitol, this is also taken from the obseration deck of the
Church Office Building

The Wasatch Mountains from the Church Office Building.

Be Prepared or End Up at the Super Dome!

2011-03-19T20:51:00.000-07:00

"You may need to survive on your own after an emergency. This means having your own food, water, and other supplies in sufficient quantity to last for at least three days. Local officials and relief workers will be on the scene after a disaster, but they cannot reach everyone immediately. You could get help in hours, or it might take days. In addition, basic services such as electricity, gas, water, sewage treatment, and telephones may be cut off for days, or even a week or longer."

Thursday I did a presentation on 72-Hour kits at our church. Because I had EVERYTHING out, I decided it was a great time to update instead of waiting until the first of April like I was planning.

Here is a list of just a few of the things we try to have....

1 gallon of water per person per day
3 day supply of food per person
Changes of clothing for all
Blankets
Rain Coat
Flashlight (we have several, so that you crank, some headlight etc.)
Batteries
Lighter
Water-proof matches
Can opener (I have a GI one in each bag!)
Shovel
Duct Tape
Rope
Leatherman tool
First Aid Kit
Toiletries
Prescription Meds
Personal documentation
Legal documents (Copies)
Cash (make sure there are no denominations over $20.)
A light weight toilet lid that fits on a 4-5 gallon bucket along with the appropriate liner!
N95 Breathing Mask
Light Sticks
Radio
Gloves
Whistle
Medications
Emergency Contact Phone list
Equipment for purifying water

You can put together your own kit, or buy one. Frequently Costco has nice ones or Emergency Essentials online has them. I prefer to do my own so I have what I want in it.
We keep ours in the closet next to the front door. Today I decided I need to do one more thing. I'm going to make a list of the things we would like to take in case we have more time and can take a vehicle. I will put the item list and location on the inside of the closet door. I could get a lot of things in 10 minutes if I had a list to go from.

So now my question for you. Are you prepared? Or would you end up at the Super Dome? What other things would you suggest? (Although my posted list is by no means even my own complete one I look forward to input from everyone!!).

Don't forget to update it every 6 months!! Especially the food and children's clothes. It won't be good if your teenager pulls out a 6T set of clothes!!

There are some really great sites for these with much more information than I have shared here.
http://www.redcross.org/www-files/Documents/Preparing/EmergencyPreparednessShoppingList.pdf

http://www.fema.gov/pdf/library/fdsk.pdf

http://www.ready.gov/america/getakit/index.html (this also has insights for Military families)

http://bereadyutah.gov/family/get-a-kit.html

http://bereadyutah.gov/family/documents/72-hourchecklistpdf.pdf

Another Incredible Meal.....

2011-03-02T19:54:00.000-08:00

Last night for dinner I called my cousins daughter Tracy to find out the name of a restaurant they take Viv and Dave to when they're in town. It was the Tepanyaki. We went to the one in downtown Salt Lake. The Tepanyaki is a Japanese restaurant where they prepare the food right at your table. They really put on quite a show.

Aisling catching shrimp tossed to her by spatula...

Laurence was tossed several shrimp also. He didn't do nearly so well as Aisling....

A wonderful meal like that calls for a fantastic dessert!!

Oh how I LOVE Baskies...... I was first introduced to Baskin Robbins in the 70's when I was living with Viv and Dave...

Some things never change.... I've shared my love for Pralines and Cream with Aisling.

Laurence always goes for the fruity varieties....

What a fun night....

Good thing there are no Baskin Robbins in Colstrip!! :)

I Came I Saw I Conquered!!

2011-03-02T09:42:00.000-08:00

Today I went for a little drive in downtown Salt Lake. I LOVE to see the old homes in the avenues!! Reminiscent of times gone by. I decided to head up to City Creek Canyon. When I got there I decided to keep on going, driving up the hill behind the capitol building. I found myself at the entrance to Ensign Peak Nature Park, with a little path leading up to Ensign Peak.

I had never been there, so decided to take advantage of the opportunity for a little walk.
A little walk? Yes... Easy for someone out of shape.... Not so much.

I MADE IT!!
I truly am proud of myself.
At this time of year, the well kept trail is extremely muddy and although it is only .86 miles round trip it is an increase in elevation of 380 feet. The Peak Elevation is 5417 ft.

After the Pioneers had been in the Salt Lake Valley 2 days, Brigham Young and several others climbed to the top which he named "Ensign Peak,". They used the view from the summit to visually explore and lay out the entire valley.

This is looking south if you look closely to the left of the Capitol building you can see the Salt Lake Temple and the Tabernacle.

Looking to the west, you see a part of the Great Salt Lake and what I believe is Antelope Island. If it isn't, please let me know what it is.

To the east are the majestic mountains and "the greatest snow on earth".
Salt Lake is one of the few cities with mountains so close.
I love it and loved the afternoon.

An Afternoon with Uncle Don

2011-02-28T08:18:00.000-08:00

Sunday we took the opportunity of having no classes to go out to Erda, Utah. My Uncle Don lives there. We had a delightful afternoon and evening.

Laurence, Sidney and Uncle Don

Next door to him live his son Chris, Chris' wife Kim along with their 5 delightful kids. His son Bill, Bill's wife Anne and their two wonderful kids live in Tooele. It is about a 10 minute drive to Tooele.

Chris, Kim, Bill, Anne, Uncle Don, Sidney, Laurence

The gorgeous views on the way out to the little community of Erda, Utah

I'm so grateful for wonderful, loving extended family. They're so great!!

From Bozeman to Salt Lake...

2011-02-26T19:26:00.000-08:00

Today we finished the drive from Colstrip to Salt Lake.

We stayed last night in Bozeman and had the opportunity to see Dez (Bill's fiance), for a minute at her work on our way out of town. When we got to Rexburg we went out to lunch with my handsome nephew Kent. I wish I had taken pictures at lunch. ;( This is a picture of the Rexburg temple. Such a beautiful temple to our Lord.

Is This a Pitt "thing" or Just a Laurence "thing"?

2011-02-20T13:05:00.000-08:00

Laurence has two favorite breakfasts. This is one of them.

Pancakes -- Check

Butter -- Check

Syrup -- Check

Chili -- WHAT??

Yep, that's his fav!

I have often wondered if he learned that at home growing up or if he acquired it after leaving home???

Today's Visitor

2011-02-20T09:46:00.000-08:00

Today I had a new visitor "Mrs. Downy Woodpecker". I see the Mr's occasionally.

I have found that although the downy woodpeckers and the Northern flickers will eat the blocks of suet they seem to much prefer the round tubes in the log. I go through 4 -8 logs in the time I go through one block.

The downy woodpeckers are very similiar to the Hairy Woodpecker; except they are much smaller. The downy woodpeckers are much the same size as my pine siskins and sparrows except for their long tail feathers.

They are fun to watch and listen to. Although they don't "sing", their form of song is to hammer on trees or metal poles. When I watch them pound on metal poles I am reminded of the woody woodpecker cartoons where the beak would soon be in the shape of multiple "w"s.

Maybe someday soon I'll have my camera in hand when the male appears.....

♥ I Feel So Loved ♥

2011-02-19T13:31:00.000-08:00

Last week Laurence and I went to Salt Lake. When I got home I had this wonderful package in the mail!
My sister-in-law Glenda sent me these wonderful teatowels. She is so incredibly talented. She also made the card. I wish I could show you the inside as well.

The teatowels are so beautiful! Glenda does such great work. She retired last September and now has more time to spend on her business. If you want to see more go to her website http://ggsthreadables.vpweb.com .

She does all kinds of special orders, and every one of them absolutely beautiful.
Thank you so much Glenda for all you do to make me feel loved!!

Winter in Yellowstone

2011-02-17T08:20:00.000-08:00

Last week we went to Salt Lake for a RootsTech Conference. A combination of Genealogy and all the incredible technology that goes along with it. That will be a post another day.

On our way home we drove from West Yellowstone to Bozeman, which takes in the northwestern corner of Yellowstone Park. I was disappointed not to see any wild life except for a few crows but the scenery was gorgeous. Sit Back and enjoy.

I love the way the ice gathers around the boulders. It makes them look like stingrays.

Have a great day! Thanks for looking.

My Newly Painted Kitchen/Dining Room

2011-02-06T16:19:00.000-08:00

I am a happy camper!! After years of wood paneling, and white and pink sponge painting and white textured walls. I now have a color and texture I LOVE!!

The walls were all retextured and painted this gorgous, rich purple/brown color.

I can't afford to redo the counter tops so I wanted something that would tie in with them and the carpeting.

My Clock that Laurence just finished along with my framed cross-stitch. This is truly just those things I love!

We are thinking that we will paint the cabinets white. I am sure open to opinions on this.

Please post them.

I love this cabinet. I got it from my dear friend Cyndie when she moved to Florida.

She put it together and did all of the painting. I included this picture to show it off. :)

Carmen, this qualifies for 2-3 projects on your challenge:)

A Little Piece of History

2011-01-30T14:06:00.000-08:00

In 1900 my great-grandparents Robert and Sarah Alice Nelson Baird were called by leaders of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints to help colonize the Big Horn Basin in northwestern Wyoming. They sold their home in Heber, Utah to travel by wagon train to Wyoming; a distance of over 500 miles.

My Great-grandparents Robert and Sarah Alice Nelson Baird

When the group arrived in Wyoming they had to dig a canal that was over 30 miles long. During that summer of 1900 when my great-grandfather was not working on the canal he built a small cabin for his family in Cowley. He and my Great-grandmother lived there until she died. Then his son Dan moved his wife Ona and their family in to the cabin to help my great-grandfather and great-grandfather’s brother Jimmy. Uncle Danny and Aunt Ona lived in that log home for many years. In the mid-1970’s their children and grandchildren tore down the log home to replace it with a nice modern home.

Uncle Danny and Aunt Ona in front of their log home

My mother asked for and was given a slice from one of the logs. It sat in her basement until about a year ago when she gave it to me.

Laurence doing more detailed chiseling with his dremel tool.

Laurence busily sanding.....

Applying polyurethane. I believe it has close to 8-10 coats.
The first 2-3 coats soaked in immediately the wood was so dry.
No wonder at 110+ years old!

Ready for the clockworks

The craftsman and my clock

Laurence does such BEAUTIFUL work!! Never taking shortcuts, it always shows in the result!

A Closet Felon?

2011-01-29T11:29:00.000-08:00

In our little town we have an overabundance of deer, turkeys etc.
It is against the law to feed them.

So..... as they come to eat under my birdfeeders daily does this actually make me a Closet Felon???

SwagBucks

2011-01-28T12:14:00.000-08:00

Have you heard of SwagBucks? I hadn't until recently. I kept running into posts about the free things people were getting through SwagBucks and decided to look into it. It really easy and kind of fun. You gain 30 points for just signing up with them, then you can gain bucks by doing websearches using their search bar. (Which just goes through google anyway). With only 450 Swagbucks you can get something as simple as a $5. Amazon giftcard or other prizes of your choice.

You can sign-up for FREE, and if you sign-up using the link I have here then I get additional swagbucks as well. :)

HAPPINESS Is Like a Butterfly...

2011-01-27T21:21:00.000-08:00

At the Butterfly House in South Dakota this beautiful butterfly posed for us.
It reminded me of one of my favorite quotes.

"Happiness is like a butterfly

The more you chase it,

The more it will elude you.

But if you turn your attention to other things,

It will come and sit softly on your shoulder."

Thoreau

I LOVE a Good Deal!!

2011-01-24T20:13:00.000-08:00

Anyone who knows me knows that I LOVE a good deal!

I am not above dickering, dumpster diving, begging....

Whatever it takes!!

At Laurence's work they decided to replace a laser printer because it was no longer fast enough.

The printer they were replacing was slated to be auctioned. However the auction wouldn't be for nearly a year. By the time the year was up with the printer being stored unplugged in the cold warehouse it would be ruined.

My husband offered to do them a favor and take it off their hands for $75. They accepted his offer and said they would throw in 7 cartridges of toner if he would pay $100. total.

(They had no other printers on site taking that particular toner.)

Yes we are sort of known as the ones that will bring all sorts of "junk" home, but hey, we are the ones they mention it to as well!! (And I do know what to do with true junk.)

So far we've made about 128,000 copies and still running stong. We put in 3 new toner cartridges tonight and still have 2 more.

Lucky us!! We feel so Blessed!!

BrInG On ThE PaStA!

2011-01-22T19:31:00.000-08:00

We Try to Be Prepared...

As a family we try to be prepared for emergencies.We think of emergencies in terms of unemployment, natural disasters, financial disasters etc.

We see being prepared in terms of food, water, financial, spiritual etc.

Because of this we tend to buy in bulk. Buying in bulk is only wise if you can use or preserve what you buy.

We buy spaghetti in 25 pound boxes.

That can be a lot of spaghetti!

I have a bottle that I keep the spaghetti in. It holds about 4 meals for my family.

I take the rest of the spaghetti and divide it into groups and put it in my food saver bags.

The food saver and bags vacuum seal the bags.

Hmmmm next time I take a picture of my foodsaver I better polish the stainless steel.....

When I finished I had 7 bags. These won't last more than about a year, so I am not worried about it going bad. When I store more than that I either seal it in mylar bags with an oxygen absorber or in a #10 can with an oxygen absorber.

What do you do to have your family prepared for an emergency?

Dif'rent Strokes for Dif'rent Folks

2011-01-21T19:07:00.000-08:00

Driving by the lake today,

I was amazed at what I saw.

Do people actually LIKE to ice fish?

Is this actually someone's idea of fun?

Certainly not mine...

My idea of fun would be a beach somewhere,

laying in the sun, under an umbrella

listening to the water.

Oh, and don't forget the good book!

The people at the lake probably think that would be boring.

Will winter ever end?

More Wildflowers (or a way to bring on more spring fever!!)

2011-01-20T20:20:00.000-08:00

Yesterday I had such fun pulling out and organizing some of my wildflower pictures, I thought I would share more today.

Cushion Phlox (Phlox pulvinata) Blooms from April-July

Phlox is one of my favorite flowers. My mother used to have purple phlox in our yard.

Hookers Onion (Allium acuminatum) blooms May-July

Did you know that there is actually an onion bulb on this. I remember being out in the hills with my dad when I was little and we would eat these. Now it sounds awful.

Sego Lily (Calochortus nuttallii) Blooms June-August

This is the state flower of Utah. The pioneers ate many sego lily roots when they arrived in the Salt Lake Valley. It helped them survive.

Wild Rose (Rosa blanda) late May-July

Lupine (Lupinus argenteus) Blooms June-July

Up on the Big Horns in June you can see entire meadows just covered with lupine. It is just a purple carpet.

Yellow Stonecrop (Sedum stenopetalum) blooms July-August

Just like any sedum this stonecrop loves dry arid areas with poor soil.

Maybe there is a lesson there for me...

Bloom where I'm planted

Guess I'm not the only one loving mountain meadows!!