Michelle's Baby Shower

I am so behind in my blogging! I'll start with last weekend. We had a wonderful, whirlwind weekend. We traveled to attend Michelle's baby shower. We got there about 5 in the evening, and started with a shopping trip to buy Ken two suits for his birthday. It was power shopping at it's best: enter the store, bag the kill, and exit the store. Michelle and Brian came down from SLC and we met up with Kristen, Jared and kids. It was a fun reunion! We all then went out to dinner at The Bombay House. After dinner, we headed to Kristen and Jared's house. Kristen had prepared her famous Chocolate Silk Pie to celebrate Ken's birthday. The pie was delicious and the best part was watching Nathan watch the candles. . . Budding pyro on our hands, I'm afraid! He just loved it! Ken was thrilled to get three more boxes of Kristen's homemade cherry chocolates. The next day was Michelle's baby shower. It was SO fun to see all the cousins and visit. So many came: Allison, Lily, Kelly, Kyra, Whitney, Noel, Stacy, Kendra, Tara, Tisha (and her boyfriend, Dave for a minute), Sharla, (oh, who have I forgotten?)plus Melanie and Ada sent gifts, and many from Brian's side as well. Everyone was too generous. We tied a baby quilt and visited and ate delicious food prepared by Cynthia. While we partied, Ken, Jared and kids went falconing. Jared arranged for a falconer to take them out. That was interesting. Then Ken and Brian met us at the end of the party and we headed into SLC to car shop. I bought a new car (check a future post). Then we headed home. So we were only there about 24 hours. It was power-packed family fun!!

Scotcharoos

This is our traditional Easter/ Spring Break treat: 2cups sugar 2 cups light corn syrup 2 cups peanut butter 1 13oz box rice krispies 1 pkg. chocolate chips (semi sweet) 1 pkg. butterscotch chips Butter two sided cookie sheets ( you know the kind all Mormons have) Combine sugar and syrup in a large pan (needs to be at least 3 qut) Cook until mixture begins to bubble, stirring frequently. Remove from heat; Stir in peanut butter. Mix well. Add cereal and stir til your arm falls off. Press into the prepared pans. Melt the chips in the microwave (don't burn it) Stir and spread over the cereal bars. Cool in fridge until topping is set. Cut and eat with family and friends.

Yes, I Am!

The other day, I went to the temple. I recognized one of the workers there as someone from our stake, so I introduced myself. She said, “You’re President Hinton’s wife?” I said I was and she exclaimed, with much feeling, “Oh, you’re a lucky woman!” Yes, I am! Happy Birthday, Ken!!!!

Whole Wheat Bread Anyone?

I'm sitting here with tears streaming down my face. No, I'm not sad. I just am running the self-clean oven and it's smoky in here. I'm surprised the smoke alarm isn't doing it's job. I had a bit of a disaster today. I got home around 12:30. I had mixed whole wheat bread before I left, so I punched it down and put it in pans to rise. I put them in the warm oven to rise. I had beans bubbling in the crock pot- all in readiness for our dinner. Thursdays are busy. Ken comes home for a quick dinner and then goes back to work for the evening during busy season, and I teach from 3-6, so I like to have everything all ready to eat when I get done. So, I planned to let the bread rise, then bake it while I taught. Best laid plans . .. When I went in the kitchen shortly before 3 to turn on the oven to bake, this is the sight that I found! Bread dough was everywhere. I just laughed out loud! Just as I started to clean it all up, the doorbell rang, and lessons began. Of course, today every student came and everyone was on time, so I had no breaks. So by the time I got done at 6, I had an even bigger mess! It is now after nine and I just barely finished cleaning up the mess, and the oven is cleaning itself. Oh, the ham and beans were delicious and so was the bread. I just punched the loaves down again and let it rise again and it worked just fine. All's well that ends well!

Ami and Hansen's Wedding

We had a wonderful weekend in LA, attending Ami and Hansen's wedding. We were so blessed to be part of the happy day. Whitney joined us Friday afternoon and we drove down to LA, arriving about 7 that evening. We went out to dinner that evening with Jessica and Adam, who happened to live just a couple of miles from our hotel. We had a great time with Jess and Adam. They are so fun. Whitney stayed with them. On Saturday, Ken took a LONG walk on the beach and we had breakfast and then arrived at the temple for the 2:30 ceremony. We got to meet four family members that we hadn't met yet: Carina(Aaron's wife- so dang cute!), Adam (Aaron and Carina's son), Baby Thomas (Ali and Justin's newest), and, of course, Hansen(what a perfect match for Ami!) It was so sweet to witness the sealing and see their love and happiness. Ami looked so beautiful in the dress she and Hansen designed. After the pictures, Ken and I drove out to West Hollywood and located the apartment we lived in when we lived in LA while doing an internship shortly after we were married. It was so fun to walk down memory lane. Navigating the freeways was made easier by our friend, Thomas- our GPS. It worked pretty well, and only occasionally did Ken argue with Thomas (Ken was usually right-he's a natural GPS.) In the evening, we had a delicious dinner at Ami and Hansen's favorite restaurant on the ocean. It was beautiful and the food, delicious. Both fathers gave such nice toasts to the new bride and groom. John shared that Hansen's great, great grandfather (Joseph F. Smith) and Ami's great-great grandfather (Isaac Fox) served as missionary companions to the Sandwich Islands (now Hawaii) in the 1850's. He wondered if maybe they had something to do with these soul-mates getting together.? It was the perfect day. We are so glad we got to be part of it!

Spinach Strawberry Salad

A delicious way to use those strawberries that are appearing in the store: 1 big bunch Spinach, torn (about 10 oz.) 1 quart sliced Strawberries Sugared almonds (put 1/2 cup almonds in a fry pan and toast slighty then add about 1/4 cup of sugar and stir and stir until sugar melts and clings to the almonds. I've tried it with slivered, sliced and whole. It works great with any of them) 1 Bunch green onions, sliced Mix together and pour poppy seed dressing(recipe below or you can use store-bought) over. Serve immediately. Poppy Seed Dressing 1 tablespoon poppy seeds 1/2 cup white sugar 1/2 cup olive oil 1/4 cup distilled white vinegar or red wine vinegar 1/4 teaspoon paprika 1/4 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce 1 tablespoon minced onion

Women of Faith

Last week I had the privilege of playing the part of Martha of Bethany in our ward's young women's New Beginnings program. Sisters from the ward played the parts of women who knew Jesus. We each told our story, then some of us sang. I was "sisters" with my good friend, Jaime (kneeling in front of me) who played the part of Mary. We sang a duet together. Martha's the one who is "careful and troubled about many things." Type-casting, I guess. Anyway, it was a privilege to be part of this special program.