Miss them already

I've been home for a few days now and trying to get back into my routine which usually does'nt take too long. Not only did I have a great time in Idaho with my mother and my son and siblings, I got to bring home some nice treasures.

My mother was going through her cubboards and gave me a juicer, her mother's old rolling pin, and a cookbook from our Aunt Gladys that she had written herself. Most of the recipes are Swedish recipes that my mom cooked us many a time.

We went shopping one day at some thrift and antique stores where I found an old lunch pail just like the one I carried in grade school. Funny how we remember certain things.

I just had to buy it. I bet some of you carried one just like this.

Inside the lid is text on Safety First in and around the school yard. I actually remember this too.

I also found an old branding iron with my hubby's initials, a milkglass shaker for my daughter, and a couple of ladybug pins to add to my collection on my car's dash mat. I'd say a pretty good haul for one day.

My son stayed with me at my mom's and we had a really good visit. I don't think he missed his daily group of friends so long as mom was there. I only get to see him two or three times a year, depending on our winters. He looked really good and is doing very well.

I also did a perm on my mom's hair which is what my sister, Eileen would have done, along with a cut and style. I highlighted my younger sister's hair and sheared my brother's.  So everyone was lookin' good but they'll have to find another hairdresser in the future (they're gonna want to). I'm too old to take beauty school, plus the fact that I hate to do hair.

After another wonderful busy day and my car now packed for my trip back home, we were blessed with this beautiful sunset.

Not a bad way to say good bye to Idaho and my family.  I miss them already.

I know this was hard for everyone without Eileen there with us, but I hope we can continue to get together as often as possible and remember all the good times we have shared and make many more memories for those we will leave behind.

Get Your Giggle On

I thought I had better share some of the special moments of the Luau party my daughter and I threw before I left for Idaho. I must admit I think we all enjoyed ourselves tremendously.






We began by adorning our guests with a colorful lei, some were handmade and some purchased,  and each gal was given a pair of flip flops they could decorate with some flowers and jewels we set out in a basket with some hot glue guns for the ready.

Look how nice Cheryl's shoes turned out.

We had also arranged another table we set up with tubs of fabric dye and some cotton cloths for each of the girls who wanted to try their hand at tye dyeing. I think they turned out pretty fantastic, don't you?

These gals have a real talent for this. Mine, not so much.

Everyone brought a Hawaiian dish for dinner. We had Kalua pork, BBQ Hawaiian chicken, Coconut Shrimp, Hawaiian corn chowder, Tropical Spinach salad, green salad, fruit salad, a variety of breads, homemade chips with homemade salsa, a wonderful Hawaiian fruit bar and a yummy Buttermilk cake, Pinapple Coconut Banana Upside Down cake, and plenty of fresh fruit. You can see that when us farmgirls get together it is a feast that no doubt will leave you full but always going back for more. Just look at how pretty the table looked.

We filled our plates and chatted over the wonderful tastes of the variety of dishes we each had made. There was plenty of MaryGail's delicious Victorian tea (which was really good even with liquor), wine coolers and hard liquor set up at our Tiki Bar and placed around and about in ice chests and a wheel barrel. 

Tiki bar

We did'nt want anyone to get thirsty.

 You can't have a party without prizes so during dinner Faith and I chose our Best Dressed Hawaiian style, who was April in an original Hawaiian luau dress. Does'nt she look great?

We of course had to have some fun so we had a Hoola Hoop contest where for Best Hoola Hooper, Jen (far right) won for keeping it up the longest.



Some had to try different tactics.

Best neck hoop?



Best beer in hand hoop?



Do you think we are having fun yet? We figured we better liven things up a bit more so we decided to play this game I saw on the internet a few years back and always wanted to get some gals together and play it. It did'nt hurt that some of us had a few drinks in us but you'd still get a kick out of it sober.

Let me show you how it goes. You begin by picking a partner.......

 
and get ready at the start (above) and begin walking to meet up with your partner (below).  You cannot use your hands unless of course, the t.p. roll falls on the ground.



Ooops!

Or this.............



I think I peed a little





To the finish line

This was so silly we laughed and giggled so hard the neighbors had to wonder what the heck we were doing over here. My hubby snuck out on the front porch when he heard all the laughing and said he heard a couple of the gals say they had'nt had anything between their legs in years. He only wished he had a video, but he was exhempt from the party.

The winners of this event  (below) went out to Patty (front left) and Robin (front right) for actually finishing to the end.



After an evening of so much fun we wound down to  some great stories, the sound of the Hawaiian music in the background, and off to the various campers for  a good night's sleep.

The following morning I was preparing breakfast of bacon, eggs, coffee, orange juice and fresh fruit placed about on the table for everyone to enjoy. 

With the smell of bacon in the air, the girls began to meander out of their warm beds to a brisk morning decked out in sweats and coats. I love the taste of bacon that's cooked outdoors, don't you?

Margie (left center) telling stories



We sat and chatted for a few hours and then everyone helped with the clean up before heading back home. 

These are some awesome farmgirls that I truly enjoy being in their company. 



Front left to right: Jen, April, MaryGail, Robin, myself, Faith, Cheryl, and Patty



Thanks for just being you.



Planning and Packing

Besides getting ready for my big Luau party this Saturday, I am trying to get ready for a week trip in Idaho.  I had forgotton how much one needs to do to get ready for a party let alone what you need to pack when you go anywhere on vacation.  My car is loaded and the majority of it is for the dog. When I go anywhere with Onyx, she has to have her crate for traveling and sleeping in. I need her play pen to keep her from running off, and of course all her blankets, toys, food dishes, treats, her clothes, and leash. Now to find room for my one suitcase and pillow and come Monday morning we will hit the road early.


Meanwhile, I finally finished making the teddy bear I will be giving to my Mother, which I made from a couple of my sister's shirts. I hope she can think of it with fond memories of her child. It turned out cute, don't you think?
I got the idea to make one from a woman who made teddy bears from her husband's shirts, after he passed, to give to all their children. She was kind enough to mail me the pattern so that I could do this for my mom. I hope to make a couple more for my sister's daughter and granddaughter soon.
I plan to be pretty busy with crafts this winter and with the looks of things, it could be a long winter.

It is trying to rain again today so I think it is time to put together the pear tart I have been thinking about making and my pears have just ripened enough.

Have a wonderful day.

Just another day in the kitchen

I could'nt let summer get away without making some jams so I started with Peach jam from a box of seconds I brought home from Grants Pass.

That turned out okay so when I was at the grocery store the following day and saw these nice bags of plums I thought, why not. So I bought them, brought them home and whipped up a batch of Plum jam.

We do love our jams around here. I buy a jar everywhere I see them in gift shops when we travel. I just love to try different ones, don't you?

Well I still had half a box of peaches left over and was looking through my canning book trying to decide what to do with them when I came upon the recipe for Peach Salsa.

Peach Salsa

So I began making my salsa by peeling the peaches, dicing the onions, red pepper, cilantro and then, when I got to the four, HUGE, Jalapenos, I did'nt think to put on a pair of gloves. Well from 1:30 in the afternoon until 8:30 that evening, guess what? Yep, my hands were on FIRE. Funny now, haha, but trying to do all I could to stop the burn, not so. I went out and watered the yard, along with my hands, for about an hour. I soaked them in milk, I rubbed burn cream on them, I sat with ice cubes and a towel on them, I washed and washed and washed to no relief. The burning stopped when it wanted to. While all this was going on, I am also trying to help my husband get things set up for my party next weekend. This was not an easy task to do when your hands are on fire as if they are in an actual fire. The sun made them hotter, the wind made them hotter, touching them made them hotter. You get the idea everything made them hotter. I have never had a burning over my whole hands before. Yes, I have done this before.

When I finally called it a day and went to bed, my thumb tips were the only things still burning. Had to keep them outside the covers.

They say old dogs can learn new tricks. Well, where's my trainer?

 

And to think I only got four pints out of all that.

Just another day in my kitchen.

Come along with me........

Let me take you on a journey with me and my friends, April and MaryGail who invited me to go along with them to Hellgate and back. It began at 5am yesterday morning. Besides it still being dark outside, there was fog I had to deal with, so getting to their house was a slow drive for me. Once over the hill toward Medford the sun began to shine. From here on out we had beautiful weather and a day to remember.

April & MaryGail

We arrived at the Hellgate Jetboat Excursions office to pay for and pick up our tickets. We were a little early so we sat down to some delicious pastries and hot coffee while we waited.


We mosied around the lovely store before going down by the river to join our driver, Johnnie, a tour guide for 23 years who had expert knowledge and the history of the Rogue River and the critters and their habitats. He was a man of great humor and made the trip very fun and fascinating to all.

We saw bald eagles, a turtle, deer and several fishing boats up and down the river. Look at the size of salmon these gals caught! That's a lot of fish.





The sights were so beautiful all along the river. I especially liked seeing flowers in bloom along the rivers bank and every now and then a stray flower sticking up out of a boulder all by itself.

After continuing down the river and into the mouth of Hellgate, it was an awesome site to see the boulders and how the river has formed them and to see how high the river had risen at one time, well above where some of the homes today are situated.

Mouth of Hellgate

From here we went back to have lunch at the owners private home called the OK Corral.

A large and beautiful log home with a huge veranda overlooking the hillside to the rivers edge.

We were served barbeque chicken, scalloped potatoes, green salad, rolls and cornbread and for dessert, berry cobbler with cream. There was iced tea and lemonade to drink and the views from the veranda were spectacular as well.

Once lunch was over we were back on the river where Johnnie gave us a different kind of ride to remember. He occassionally would do a 360 turn or come to a quick stop were some of us enjoyed the spray of the cold water. I did'nt hear anyone complaining and I think it made a few of us feel young again.

It was hard to say goodbye to the river and head toward home, but back on the road we took a detour along the countryside and found a couple of produce stands and picked up a few vegetables to take home. Closer to home, between Medford and Klamath Falls, we stopped along the roadside and picked blackberries. There are some really nice plump ones and some still waiting to ripen. You think I got a large enough bucket? I could have picked for days. I think I got enough blackberries to make a really nice cobbler.

Hope you enjoyed the journey into Hellgate and thanks for stopping by.