Meet Alverson

Alverson, or Alvey for short, is the barn goat. He passes the time by climbing to the top of the hay pile, pushing his head against walls and scratching his back in an unnatural way with his horns. Alvey used to butt people and chase small children until Kari loaned him to the paint horse people for their goat-tying event. He's been much better behaved since then. Rocko told the horse psycic that he finds the goat much more interesting than the dogs and he wants to share his treats with Alvey.

Ok, So He's Pampered

My horses are like children to me, so they get the very best care. Rocko is no exception, he just doesn't appreciate the pampering as much as Sophie did. It must be because he's a boy. Every day he get a "bucket". Buckets are his favorite thing, because they are full of goodies. He doesn't know that his buckets has healthy stuff too. Kind of like the pureed broccoli in the pizza sauce thing. This is what goes into Rocko's bucket:
- Alfalfa Pellets to add some meat to his skinny bones.
- Hoof Supplement for strong hooves and a healthy tail.
- Fast Track Digestive Aid so he won't colic.
- Super 14 which is powdered fat as far as I can tell, for a very shiny coat.
- Joint Juice (I could probably use some myself!)
- Vegetable Oil for even more shine!
-Apples, carrots and animal cookies, because we love him.
Then we add some water to make it all sloppy because he likes to slurp and make noise when he eats it. I know it looks gross, but Rocko loves it!

I've Been Everywhere, Man

You know that Johnny Cash song, right? Love that song. So what do you do when you go on vacation and you want to get something to remember your trip, but you don't really NEED anything? Here's an idea- get a bumper sticker and put it on your garbage can. That's what we do. We've been doing it for years and are probably on the 3rd or 4th generation of stickers. Our priests did a fundraiser last month- they power-washed the insides of garbage cans for people in the Stake. When our can showed up they took special care to preserve our stickers. I think our garbage can is awesome.

Val's Flowers

I was not having a great day yesterday. I'd taken 400+ pictures at work, and had missed the funeral of Doug Robinson, who lived in my ward. My DH had conducted the funeral and I knew he was having a hard day too and really wished I could have been there. Then I found out that today I would be working with a totally different crew, who do things in a totally different way. Then I had some other news that cannot be mentioned at this time. :) I was feeling really sorry for myself. At about 7:00, the doorbell rang. It was Val Robinson, Doug's wife, with a beautiful flower arrangement. This 40-year-old lady, who had buried her 46-year-old husband earlier in the day, who had 2 boys, ages 8 and 12 waiting for her at home, was bringing us flowers. We hugged and cried. I felt humbled. Life is all about our perspective. I'm going to work on that.

Disney Layout

These pages help me remember our family trip to Disneyland last summer. It was SIL's first time there, and it was fun watching him see and do everything for the first time. We went during the National Librarian's Convention, and while all rooms within 5 miles were full, all librarians go to bed by 8:00, so we had the park to ourselves after dark! Most memorable moment: Both Chip and Goofy playing with SIL's curls at breakfast, then YS calmly stroking Chip's chin.

It's Not Easy Being Green?

I'd like to introduce you to my grocery bags! This is one thing I can do to help the environment. I keep these in my car and try to remember to use them. I did a big shop this morning and didn't use even one plastic bag. I felt even better when the greeter at Walmart gushed about how "gorgeous" they were! (Special thanks to the San Diego Holiday Inn!) Sometimes the checkout people seem a little put out by having to use them, (one lady made me fill them myself one day!), but hey- most of the time bags just like mine are for sale in the checkout line. Even those paper bags get used until they fall apart!

The Best Cookies Ever!!

These Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies are my favorites! They are soft and sweet. How ironic that my favorite cookie would contain a vegetable:). I made a batch yesterday, and the half we kept for ourselves is almost gone! Enjoy!

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies- 3 dozen
1 c. sugar
1 c. pumpkin
1/2 c. oil
1 egg
Mix together these wet ingredients.
2 c. flour
1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. cinnamon
2 tsp. baking powder
Combine dry ingredients and add to wet ingredients.
Dissolve 1 tsp. baking soda in 1 tsp. milk. Add to dough and mix. Then add 1 tsp. vanilla and 1 package milk chocolate chips. Mix well. Preheat oven to 375. Drop cookies onto a greased cookie sheet. These cookies don't spread too much. Bake approximately 8-9 minutes. Do not overcook. Cookies will be soft and moist.

The Many Faces of My Youngest Son

Biker Bishop

My DH is always looking for an adventure, whether it's skiing, scuba diving, snowshoeing, driving 4-wheel drive trails, or pretty much anything daring. In our family we say that it hasn't been a family trip unless one or more of us almost dies. His latest hobby is road biking, and to his credit, he works really hard at it. In the winter he trains out in the barn. Last summer he rode in several races including the Seattle to Portland race and the Logan to Jackson race. It is really hard work, which fits the bill for him!

Mmmm... Chocolate Mint!

Hey, everyone! Today is National Chocolate Mint Day! Yum! So get out there and enjoy some chocolate-mint goodness!

Cross-Country Skiing: Sun Valley Style

While I was back at the beautiful Lodge taking a well deserved nap, DH took the kids cross-country skiing at the Sun Valley golf course. As far as I can tell, it was a comedy of errors. Oldest Son was using skis that belonged to his great grandfather Walchli, who was born in Switzerland. Apparently, these skis don't have edges, which are a critical component when trying to turn while skiing. He fell next to people, around people and on people. Everyone had a good time, but came home complaining about their "hammies".

Sun Valley Sunday

When we go on vacations, we like to take it easy on Sundays, and hopefully go to church wherever we are. We found the local ward, whose building looks like an A-frame cabin, and went to their Sacrament Meeting. This seems to be a good idea for other LDS people in Sun Valley over President's Day weekend, because the ward doubled it's size last Sunday. It was a missionary farewell, which made it even more interesting! After church, we walked around the Sun Valley Resort, played games, and ate mustard-covered crackers and cheese.

A Small and Unassuming Sun Valley Vacation

We've spent the last few days in Sun Valley. DH has a client who has offered his "vacation home" to us in the past, and we finally took him up on it. Well, it was a beautiful lodge-style home with heated tile floors, restaurant appliances, TVs that covered the walls, and a telescope to watch the action on Sun Valley's ski slopes on the other side of the road. We were pampered!! So, in our typical style we dove right into the area's activities. Saturday, Oldest and Youngest sons, along with Only Daughter took on the wild and wooley Mt. Baldy while DH gave SIL his first skiing lesson on Dollar Mountain. I tagged along. I had avoided skiing for about 8 years, so I wanted to take it easy. It all came back pretty quickly and I had a great time! SIL was a fast learner so we all had fun. We even had another celebrity sighting- Jamie Lee Curtis was eating lunch in the lodge where we were. We tried not to stare! That makes 2 famous people this month! More on our adventures tomorrow...

I Beat Those Nerds!

Youngest Son competed in Region DECA competition yesterday, and brought home 3rd Place Overall! YS is by far my most competitive child, even to the point of force us all to keep playing a game for hours on end, if that's what it takes to give him the advantage. When he was little, he'd cry and maybe even throw a fit if he wasn't the winner in a game. Thank heaven he's outgrown that! I'll admit I don't understand this DECA thing. It's all about marketing and buisness. YS is convinced he will be going to the national competition in Anaheim in May. He also thinks that everyone he competes against at DECA is a nerd with a laptop and pocket protectors. Hmmm...

A Snow Fog

I was greeted with a spooky sight last night. Here's the scenario: About 3 fluffy inches of snow had fallen throughout the day, but the skies had finally cleared. As night fell, a mist or fog was rising from the new snow. Very other-worldly as the sun was going down. Sci-Fi Channel, here we come!

The Family Photo

I took this picture last summer using my camera and tripod. It was a good idea, in theory, but I wish I had had my new external flash that I got for Christmas. It would have filled in some of those shadows. Live and learn, right? I'm excited to try it again soon!

I've Been Waiting For This One...

February is Return A Shopping Cart to the Supermarket Month. You can take it from here.

Another Little Giftie

This is a Valentine's gift for my OS and FDIL. Since they aren't married yet, I guess they will have to fight over where this lives for the next few months. I think FDIL will win.

Now This Is Tasty!

My top 3 magazines: Taste of Home, Simple and Delicious and Sunset. The first two are self explanatory. Sunset shows me beautiful places to visit that are at least on my half of the continent, so I might just go there, someday! I made this recipe out of the new Simple and Delicious magazine last night night for dinner. It is really good!

Honey Mustard Chicken
1/2 c. honey
1/4 c. prepared mustard
1 envelope ranch salad dressing mix
1 Tbs. dried parsley flakes
1 1/2 tsp. Italian seasoning
1/2 tsp. dried basil
1/2 tsp. chili powder
1/4 tsp. pepper
6 chicken drumsticks
6 bone-in chicken thighs

For sauce, in a small bowl, combine the first nine ingredients. Set aside 1/2 c. for serving. Place chicken in a greased 15-in. x 10-in. x 1-in. baking pan; brush with remaining sauce.

Bake, uncovered, at 350 for 45-50 minutes or until a meat thermometer reads 180 degrees and chicken juices run clear, basting occasionally with pan juices. Warm reserved sauce; serve with chicken. 6 servings.

No Wonder My Shoulders Ache!

Since I worked by myself yesterday, I took the opportunity to take a picture of everything I had to drag in from the van to do a school shoot. That black bag with the green top is full of lights and a car battery-sized power pack, and it weighs about 50 pounds. It takes me about 4 trips to get all this stuff in. I think that pretty soon I will quit this job and become a female body builder! When everything is set up it looks like this:

J's Wedding pages

These pages didn't quite turn out the way I wanted them too, but I was really proud of my picture taking that day!

Celebrity Sighting!

Last night DH and I went to dinner in Park City to celebrate our anniversary. During the meal, a man walked by with two little girls and I turned to DH and said, "We know him. He's famous. He's in the movies!". Our very chatty waitress told us his name- Stanley Tucci- and while his name didn't ring a bell, his face certainly did. You might remember him in The Devil Wears Prada, but my favorite role of his was Puck in A Midsummer's Night Dream. Maybe that was because he always had scenes with Rupert Everett (!), but he was fun in the movie nonetheless. Ah, to rub elbows with the rich and famous!!

The Spot On The Floor

Xena, my cat, has always been fascinated by this particular dark mark in the pattern of my wood floor. Why? I don't know. She stares at it, pounces on it, and tries to dig it out, but never succeeds. You'd think she'd catch on after nine years that the spot is just a part of the floor. Now that she's getting up there in years, her spunky playtimes aren't happening as often, but she still goes after that spot on the floor.

Sunday's Yummy Best

In my opinion, this was the bestest recipe from Sunday's feast:

Onion Dip From Scratch
Alton Brown- Good Eats

2 Tbs. olive oil
1 1/2 c. diced onions
1/4 tsp. kosher salt
1 1/2 c. sour cream
3/4 c. mayonnaise
1/4 tsp. garlic powder
1/4 tsp. ground white pepper
1/2 tsp. kosher salt

In a saute pan over medium heat add oil, heat and add onions and salt. Cook the onions until they are caramelized, about 20 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside to cool. Mix the rest of the ingredients, and then add the cooled onions. Refrigerate and stir again before serving.

It Was Super!

Yesterday's Super Bowl Party was fun! We ate way too much food, laughed at the commercials, tried our best to understand DH's complicated betting sheets, and cheered during the game. Oldest Son seemed to catch on the best with the betting, since he won 3 out of the 4 possible prizes. Grandma dropped by and watched the game with us too. Good family times.

Bad To The Bone?

Enter Youngest Son - on a motorcycle? Makes me cringe. After much nagging, YS convinced DH to rebuild the old dirt bike that has been taking up space in the tractor shed for, oh, maybe the last 26 years. I know YS had visions of driving the bike to school, criusing James Dean-like into the senior parking lot. (Whatever- maybe after a certified motorcycle driving course and licence!) DH tells stories of he and his friends driving this very motorcycle THROUGH the high school on a dare back in the day. Anyway, it was a good bonding project for the two of them, with many trips to the motorcycle store for pieces and parts. After a few months, they got it started amid great clouds of exhaust and spirtings of various lubricants. But it worked! I went on several practice drives with YS- he on the bike, me on my scooter. It was like watching someone learning to drive a 5-speed- lots of engine killing at stop signs. He was getting better, but then the new hobby faded in the busyness of Life, and the cold weather hit, which is a real bike riding killer. Maybe the motorcycle will re-appear in the Spring. P.S.- Believe me, this is the only time he ever rode up and down the driveway with out a helmet.