Mormon Pina Coladas

We came home yesterday to 111 degree heat. These pina coladas hit the spot. They weren't quite as good as Taylor's Italian Sodas, but they're good . . . and easy. Fill blender 1/2 full with pineapple juice. Add 3 T. coconut milk and 1/3 cup sugar. Fill the blender with crushed ice. Blend and serve.

Happy Father's Day

For Father's Day, I decided to take Ken back to High Island, Texas (in pictures) where he was so very happy. On the night of April 15th (end of tax season), he and his brother, Don flew to Texas to bird the great area of High Island, Texas. They spent three days finding, identifying and photographing birds (Don did the photographing). I've made a slideshow of only a few of the many birds and wildlife they saw. They saw thousands of birds, and Ken added about 40 new life listers. When we got the pictures, I asked, "Where are the people?" I guess that wasn't their focus. So, as you watch the slideshow, look closely, and you'll see Ken's fingers and his nose. That's as much people as we get! Happy Father's Day, Ken!

Storm in the Night

Look what fell on our lawn during the night. The picture doesn't begin to capture it. There were boys everywhere on our front and back lawn. Ken's brother Rick brought forty young men from Arizona to stay here on their way to visit the Oquirrh Mountain Temple open house, and to the Teton High Adventure Scout Base near Jackson Hole, Wyoming. They arrived here about 2 am and were up and gone early this morning. It was quite a sight with men and boys everywhere. Before they left, Rick presented a moving devotional on our front lawn about when they hiked Zion Narrows and nearly lost Bryan. Many of our neighbors came over after they left to enquire regarding the invasion.

Overheard

I’ve overheard some funny things lately. . . .thought I’d share 1) Overheard as I was swimming. Two bikini-clad sunbathers were chatting. One was telling the other about a guy she knows. “He wants to get a tattoo.” “Really, why?” “I don’t know; he just thinks they’re cool. He wants to get a tattoo of the temple he gets married in.” 2) You know how we’re always softening the “No” with children by accompanying it with a “Yes” You could tell that technique had been used with little Eliza. This happened at the reunion: Eliza to her mom:”I don’t know where to go play.” Ken: “You can come sit on my lap.” Eliza: “No, but I’ll give you a high five.” 3) Overheard at the temple: A very elderly sister to the temple worker: “I’m ready to go to the other side, I really am, . . .except for one thing.” “Oh, what’s that?” “I love food. I love to eat. I don’t want to go where there’s no food!” I loved the temple workers response: “Well, you’ve given me some food for thought.”

Butterscotch Cookie Bars

Adrienne made these for our Hinton Family Reunion. They were so yummy! 1 cup butterscotch chips 1/4 cup butter 2 eggs 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract 3/4 cup all-purpose flour 1 teaspoon baking powder 3/4 teaspoon salt 1 cup brown sugar 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips 1/2 cup chopped nuts, opt. DIRECTIONS Place butterscotch chips and butter into a glass bowl. Heat in the microwave for about 3 minutes(much less in my microwave), stirring at 30 second intervals until smooth. Set aside to cool until firm. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F Grease a 9x13(I used a smaller pan- about 9x9) inch pan. In a large bowl, beat the butterscotch chip mixture with eggs and vanilla until well blended. Combine the flour, baking powder, and salt; stir into the batter until evenly mixed. Mix in the brown sugar, chocolate chips,and nuts (if desired) Spread the batter evenly in the prepared pan. Bake for 25 minutes in the preheated oven, just until the bars begin to pull away from the sides of the pan. Cut into squares while warm.

More Trek Pictures

Ken just emailed me some great aerial shots of the trek. Brother Hawes, on our high council, is a pilot and owns a plane, so flew over the trekkers and took these shots. THAT didn't happen on the original trek!!!

Hinton Family Reunion

While Ken trekked, I attended the A. Lavar Hinton(Ken's immediate family) family reunion on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. It was held in Southern Utah this year, with members of the family staying with us here. There are 166 members of the family now, but only about half could attend. All of the activities were in Hurricane. We did Humanitarian projects, karaoke, softball game (that ALWAYS ends in a tie)history tour, challenge games (wish I'd remembered to take pictures of all those people all over the gym floor doing four-man push-ups!), watch band making craft, dutch oven dinner, auction, church and business meetings,lots of visiting and eating. And, of course, the annual hope nobody gets hurt, knock 'em out, play hard basketball tournament. We didn't have time for the James Bond 007 activity. We'll have to do that next year, I guess. I mostly "Hung" with my sister-in-laws. How I love each of these dear sisters. Ken got back in time to join in the Saturday night and Sunday activities. The Hintons are a GREAT bunch of people. These reunions have been held annually for 34 years, I believe. It's difficult to estimate their value and the impact they've had on our children's lives. They've created a tradition of love, strength, service and joy of being together. Most of our children are married and have families of their own now. It's fun to see the grandkids(their kids) enjoying each other as much as their parents used to and still do. What a legacy Ken's parents have left. We could feel them smiling down on us as we reunited! Baby dolls for Africa(these were so cute): Karaoke- all of the siblings (minus Ken) singing Sixteen Tons. Clark added delightful choreography)Notice Rick hiding(all of them wished they could) Family Statistics(thanks to Jim): . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8 siblings, 8 spouses . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24 male and 24 female grandchildren (Hintons are excellent family planners) Grandchildren: 48 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Spouses of Grandchildren: 32 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Great Grandchildren: 68 (6 more on the way: Michelle-June, Adam-July, Brad-July, Bryan-November, Stacy-January, and Randy-not sure-I'd guess Oct. or Nov.) Total: 166

Pioneer Trek

Last weekend was our stake youth conference- Pioneer trek. The stake presidency decided when they were put in that they will do a pioneer trek every four years so that every youth gets the opportunity to go on at least one. This was their 2nd one. They start in New Harmony and trek for 19 miles to Pinto in 2 1/2 days. I took the presidency up to start the trek on Thursday and stayed for the devotional and to take some pictures. Over 300 went this year. Even as they started, you could feel the spirit of legacy and strength. It's a marvelous experience for the youth and their leaders. The Stake Presidency ready to go: The Devotional

Oh, Baby!

World's Greatest Sandwich or BELTCH(Bacon, Egg, Lettuce, Tomato, Cheese) This sandwich is from the movie, Spanglish. It is delicious. We make it frequently. Before Adam Sandler takes a bite, he says, "Oh, baby!" It's that good. 3-4 thick slices of bacon 2 slices monterey jack cheese 2 slices rustic country bread (really good bread), toasted 1 T. mayo 4 slices tomato 2 butter lettuce leaves 1 tsp. butter 1 egg 1. Cook the bacon til crisp. Drain on paper towel. 2.Place the cheese slices on one of the toasted breads and put under broiler until cheese is melted 3.Spread the other slice of bread with mayo and top with tomato slices, bacon and lettuce 4. Melt the butter in a skillet and fry the egg. When bottom is set, turn over. Leave yoke runny. (over easy) 5. Slide the egg onto the lettuce and top with cheesy bread. Cut in half, letting the yoke run down the sandwich. Oh, baby!

Wisconsin

Ken and I just returned from a marvelous week in Wisconsin with the Mackrorys. We arrived late on Wednesday night. We flew into Milwaukee and rented a car, which I unaffectionately dubbed "The Red Tin Can" because of it's lack of comfort and features. We got a motel that night, then went to Kristen's the next morning. It was so fun to see the Mackrorys! We had a fun day, jumping right in by visiting a cheese factory and sampling Wisconsin cheese. Friday, we went to 1000 Island Conservatory and went on a nature walk. We then went to High Cliffs State Park. On the way there, Nathan threw up, so that's why he's wearing no shirt. We just cleaned him up and went anyway. He was fine after that. In the afternoon, we went home and packed up, picked up Jared at work (internship with Kimberly-Clark or "Klimberly Clark" as Brielle says it) and drove to Door County- a peninsula in Lake Michigan. The drive up was gorgeous. We now know where all that cheese and butter comes from- dairy farm after dairy farm, many of them displaying the "Land of Lakes" logo. We rented a condo up there and had a great time. Friday evening we ate at the famous PC Junction Cafe where a Choo Choo train brings your food. The kids loved it and the rainbow ice cream cone after. Saturday, Jared and Ken went for a bike ride in the national park while Kristen, the kids and I shopped the FUN shops in Fish Creek. That evening, we attended a "Fish Boil"- a local custom. A huge pot boils potatoes, onions and fresh white fish. At the end, the fish boiler guy pours deisel fuel on the fire to make the pot boil over, boiling out the fish oils. They then serve it to you. It is delicious! Especially Nathan, our budding pyro, was fascinated with the fire. After the huge burst, I asked him "What happened?" So, the next day, he got the pamphlet advertising the fish boil with the picture of the fire and said over and over, "What happened?" "Hot!"- reliving the experience. After the fish boil, we went to Sunset Beach, a little beach where many gather each night to watch the sunset over Lake Michigan. It was beautiful. Sunday, we attended church at a tiny branch in Sturgeon Bay. It was fun to be in a small church. The branch president spoke in church and taught the combined RS/ Priesthood meeting. The Primary was in one room, YW/YM in another. After church, we picnicked in a lakeside park. I rated it a 9 because it was a little cold and because behind us in the picture where we ate is a sheer drop-off cliff- not real safe for little ones! We then drove to the Sturgeon Bay lighthouse, then back to Kristen and Jared's. It was about a two hour drive. Monday, we shopped in Osh Kosh. We shopped Osh Kosh B'Gosh in Osh Kosh. I had to buy clothes for all three grandkids there, just to say we had! Ken was a trooper, both Saturday afternoon and Monday, shopping with us- never complaining, tending the kids. I bought Brielle some summer pj's, letting her pick which ones. When I presented the cupcake jammies to her, after buying them, she excitedly exclaimed, "So, so fun!" That evening, we made our Wisconsin recipes from Kristen's Wisconsin cookbook. They were all delicious. Then we had a very fun FHE where Brielle conducted the meeting and led the singing. She LOVES leading the singing and surprising you on when she's going to start. Somehow, this FHE turned into a birthday celebration for me, and Jared and Kristen presented me with an electronic picture frame. "So,so fun!" We had brownies and ice cream and played fun kid games. Each night, after kids were in bed, the adults played All. At the first of the week, the men won each night, but starting in Door County, Kristen and I cleaned up. The men creamed us once in there, but otherwise we won every time. "So, so fun!" Ken got up early on Tuesday and spent several hours at a conservatory- adding two life listers and seeing many other birds. He was thrilled. The highlight of the day for me was watching Nathan dance and sing with a Baby Einstein video "E-I-E-I-O!" "Moo moo here and a moo moo there!" He is so cute. We sadly had to leave that evening and drive back to Milwaukee and stay in a motel to catch our 7am Wed flight out. On the way to Milwaukee, Ken had to prove to me that the Red Tin Can did have some skills: We're driving along in the Wisconsin countryside, when all of a sudden, The Red Tin Can started beeping. "Dangerously Low Fuel!" We'd forgotten to fill up. So, we checked with Thomas (our GPS) and he led us 7 miles off the freeway to a little town where we barely made it to get some fuel. It was a beautiful detour through farmland, which we would have enjoyed a whole lot more if we hadn't been worried about fuel. We had a wonderful time in Wisconsin and SO appreciate all Lu and Jar did to make it so, so fun!!!

Magic Bread

Several years ago, I served as Relief Society President. As a presidency, we determined that we wanted to visit every sister in her home. We would go on visits one night each week. We liked to take treats. I often made small loaves of bread. I could make four small loaves with my recipe (recipe follows.) We had some interesting experiences with those visits: One night, about 7ish, we rang the doorbell of a sister who I had never met- totally inactive and, shall we say, antagonistic. Ken was bishop years before that when she moved in and when they went to visit, she all but threw them off her property. So, we were a little nervous. She answered the door, and we presented her with the bread and she explained she had guests and they were just sitting down to dinner, so we just told her to enjoy her dinner, and we left. An hour or so later, she called me( I was surprised she'd even remembered my name.) She just went on and on about how good that bread was and how much she and her guests had enjoyed it. It was kind of a break-through. I wish I could say she started coming to church, but that didn't happen. But she did allow visiting teachers into her home, and, later, the bishopric went to see her. Not long after, she contracted liver cancer and grew very ill with the chemotherapy. She got very weak, and was determined to eat, well drink, an all raw food diet- fruits, vegetables and nuts, as she felt this would help her. This required lots of juicing, and she just plain didn't have the energy to do it. A dear sister in our ward, well some of you know Winona, had recently been widowed. Her husband died of liver cancer and I knew she had been doing some of the same things that this sister was wanting to do. So I called Winona and asked if she would have time to befriend her and help her with her diet and juicing. If you know Winona, you know how that turned out. There's not a sweeter lady in the world, and she wormed her way into this lady's heart. She died a few months later, but she died at least a "friend" to the church. Okay, so it all started with this "Magic Bread." Now another story: A few weeks after we visited this lady, we went to another less active sister. Well, let's call a spade a spade, a very inactive, antagonistic sister. Again, I had heard many stories and we were nervous. I had my first counselor with me. We approached the door with our warm loaf of bread. We rang. She came and opened the door, but not the screen. We told her who we were and that we had brought her some bread. She told us she didn't want our bread. Okay. We wished her a good evening and retreated to our car, bread still in hand. We got back in the car, looked at each other, and nearly cried through our smiles. On Sunday, I told the bishop what had happened. He just laughed and told me he had heard a rumor that Mormon bread was "Magic" and that people were being warned not to accept it because "they put something in it" that makes you want to go to church! So I'm sure you want the recipe for Magic Bread: Put in breadmaker: 1 T. yeast 4 cups bread flour 2 tsp. salt 2 T. butter 4 T. honey 1/2 tsp. baking soda 2 cups buttermilk, warmed (or 2 cups warm water with 6 T. dry buttermilk powder) . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Mix on manual in the breadmaker, or knead by hand until smooth. Let rise. Mix Down. Remove from breadmaker and form into two large or four small loaves. Put into well sprayed pans, turning to oil top as well. Let rise in pans. Bake at 350 for about 20 minutes. If you want to bake it in the breadmaker, just make half this recipe and set the machine to bake. You've been warned . .. it will make you want to go to church.

Thirty Years!!!

This week, Ken celebrated 30 years with his accounting firm! It was May 20, 1979 that he began with what was then Carter and Kemp,CPAs. It was a small local firm; Ken brought the total employees to seven that year! Now, the firm is called Hinton, Burdick, Hall, and Spilker CPAs and Advisors- Ken the most senior partner. There are five offices (St. George, Cedar City, Mesquite, Hurricane and Richfield) with nearly 100 employees. What started as a little local firm is now by far the largest firm south of Provo, Utah - recently ranked by Utah Business Magazine as the fourth largest local CPA firm in the state. It's amazing to see the changes over the thirty years. Gwen Iverson, a para professional, was there when Ken started and is still there, but otherwise, Ken has been there by far the longest. He now has 11 partners. Congratulations, Ken!!!! I wanted to do this post, and realized we had NO pictures of Ken at work, so I tortured him by going to his office yesterday for a photo shoot!

Kris won!

Plain and simple: Kris won. I hope America agrees!!! PS I can't help but think that Kara and friends wrote their song thinking Danny would sing it? It sure wasn't suited to either of the others, though I think Kris did better on it. Just my opinion . . .

Spring Vocal Recital

Today was my Spring Vocal Recital for my voice students(two are missing from the picture.) I was so proud of all of them. They each first sang a folk or art song, then a song from musical theater. It is so scary to sing in front of people, especially for the first time in your life, which was the case for a couple of them. I love these girls and love to have them come to my home each week and share their beautiful voices and spirits with me. It is a privilege to be their teacher. I'm teaching a couple of them during the summer, but for most we have a summer break now. A break sounds nice. After this busy week(Keynote performances and concert, preparing for the recital) I'm actually looking forward to getting some cleaning done next week!

Bow Tie Chicken Pasta Salad

This is the recipe that Cynthia Prince- Michelle's mother-in-law made for Michelle's baby shower. I've made it a couple of times since, halving it both times, and it still makes a ton. I've switched some of the ingredients by what I had around (strawberries for grapes, different kinds of nuts, etc) and it's always good. I think it should be called Kitchen Sink Salad because it has everything but in it, and it's delicious. Bow-Tie Chicken Pasta Salad . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Serves20 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Marinate overnight in 2 bottles Brianna Strawberry Vinaigrette: 1 pkg. bow tie pasta, cooked el dante 6 baked chicken breasts, diced Stir or shake occasionally as it marinates. . . . . . . . Add: 1 bunch chopped green onions, a bunch of grapes, cut in half, 1 can water chestnuts (drained), 1 can pineapple tidbits (drained), 1 pkg. craisins, 1/2 pkg. spinach with stems pinched off, nuts (cashews, honey roasted peanuts, whatever you have), 1 can mandarin oranges

Spring Keynote Concert

We had our spring concert at the tabernacle on Wednesday night. Our theme was "Mothers". We've been singing for rest homes and assisted living centers the last few weeks. The missionaries here sponsor the Wednesday night programs for the tabernacle and do the publicity, so this picture has been in several of the local newspapers in the area. I felt very good about how it went. It's such a fun group of ladies, great entertainers, and I think we're sounding better and better all the time. I am especially touched that so many of the sisters from our ward came and always come to my concerts. We work hard in preparation: memorize all the music and spoken parts, etc, but it's worth it when the concert is over. We now have a summer break and will start up after Labor Day, preparing for our Christmas concert on December 7th. I always have my "ear to the ground" listening for good music, so if you have suggestions, I'm starting my search for good Christmas music. Keynotes is a fun and fulfilling part of my life. Thanks, ladies!!!

And Then There Were Three

Good show, except for the judges. Good grief! Their childish bickering, “my daddy’s better than your daddy,” wrestling, and fighting were ridiculous and showed lack of respect for the participants- not to mention, the audience. On the other hand, think what those three singers did this week: they traveled and performed for thousands, then came back and had to arrange two songs, and learn one of them, then perform in front of millions. It’s nothing less than amazing. 1st place: Danny. Love his voice. He took a song he didn’t know, and made us enjoy it. That's a performer! It was fun, upbeat, and full of energy. I thought the Saxaphone/voice scatting duet was clever. I loved his “You are So Beautiful” arrangement. His crystal-clear tone and perfect pitch were truly a vocal master class, as Simon said. 2nd place: Kris. He showed us his versatile talent- piano on one, guitar on the other. Again, diction was his problem, though it got better as he went. I thought it was brave to only accompany himself on “Heartless”. He was wonderful. 3rd place: Adam. The shameless, shameless judges didn’t point out that he was flat, underpitch on both songs(despite the fact he had an earpiece giving him the pitch.) The 2nd one was painful with the out of tune back-up singers. The producers/judges obviously want him to win, and have pulled out all the stops. I hope America sees through it. Sheesh!

I'm a Swimming Fool!

It feels wonderful to be back swimming laps the last few weeks. I’ve been doing pool exercises for months, with a few laps each day, but now I’m full out swimming laps. It’s wonderful. I‘m a swimming fool. I play a little game to help motivate me. I choose a “victim”, a fellow lap swimmer, and race them. They have no idea we’re racing. It’s my little secret. The other day I checked out the competition and chose a guy a couple of lanes over. He was 25ish, muscular, wearing a red speedo, had a shaved head. You know the type. Lots of muscles; swimming laps is one of the things he does in his cross training. The race was on. My goal: to get down and back before he got down and back and down and back. Mark, get set, GO! Lap after stinkin lap, I lost. I just couldn’t do it. I left the pool feeling quite discouraged. I decided I had two choices: 1) Shave my head and get a red speedo, or 2) choose a girl next time. You’ll be happy to hear, I went with the latter. Friday, I got in the pool at the exact same time as a girl: 27-30ish. Now I’ve been in with lots of amazing swimmer girls. You know the type: they wear swim caps, goggles, turn their heads to breathe as they do a muscular American Crawl, do an amazing flip when the reach the edges. That wasn’t this girl. She was, well, she looked a little like me. She had no idea how to flip at the wall (just like me) and she did the breast stroke- not the “free-style”. Ah! A true competition. The race was on. Lap for lap we swam. Sometimes she was ahead, sometimes I was. On and on we swam. You’re goin down, girl! I got behind when I succumbed to the temptation to swim a lap on my back- big mistake. Now I had a lot of making up to do. I swam and pushed. “Think like a water skipper” – just skim the water. “Use you legs, Kay! Kick!” “Push hard off the wall.” I pushed, I swam. At the exactly 30 minute mark, she stopped to take a drink from her water bottle- Sissy!- This was my chance. I pushed off the wall and swam with all my might. She sensed danger and pushed off to catch me. Again, at 45 minutes, she stopped to drink. Again, I gained a lead, but she closed it within a few short laps. At about 55 minutes, I was exhausted and needing to go to the bathroom . I didn’t care. I would swim til midnight if I had to; I was not going to give in first. I started to imagine the management coming at 12 midnight, asking us to please leave as they were closing. She pushed and I pushed. At exactly the 60 minute mark, she gained on me and surpassed me- barely. She touched the wall. I turned and pushed and kicked, only to realize she had stopped. The race was over. . . .and I had won!!!! Victory!!!!! I swam my last two laps while she got out of the pool, dried off and watched me finish. She had no idea she had just had her fanny kicked . . .or did she? How can you swim side by side with someone for a solid hour, neck and neck the whole way and not know you were racing???? I think she knew. As she left, I was so tempted to invite her, “Same time, same lanes tomorrow,” but I didn’t have the courage. I paid the price. My leg muscles ached, my back hurt, my hip hurt. But, oh was it worth it. Victory is sweet! I’m a swimming fool. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . and all of these years you’ve assumed Kristen got her competitive nature in sports only from her father! Ha!

Happy Mother's Day!

 

Lest We Forget

I'm thinking about my mom this Mother's Day. Some of the things I want to remember and want you to know about my mom: She was a knowlege gatherer. She loved to learn. She didn't have fast recall (like Dad) but she could answer most of the Jeopardy questions if she had time. She loved maps. I'd often find her studying the atlas when I came to visit her. She loved to travel and picnic and be outdoors. She was gracious and graceful. She was Logan City tennis champion. She had an infectious laugh. She loved the arts: dance, music, literature. She was a great friend and had many friends. I miss my mom. Happy Mother's Day . . . and may those great Dorothy "genes" live on in all of us!