Balance

For our next Relief Society Activity we are going to have a meeting that focuses on creating balance in your life.  We had a meeting with our great committee, but even still I'm having the hardest time putting what we want to accomplish into words.  It's out there, but just not coming together.  I think it is because my life feels so out of balance right now.  I haven't exercised (other than my yoga in the park sessions) all summer.  I don't have a schedule for uplifting, spiritual reading.  I can't focus on cleaning the house.  Am I painting a picture of my unbalanced life in a balanced way?

But today I went to a Zumba class at the Gym.  As I spent the hour dancing, I found my mind thinking more clearly of ways to pull "creating balance" all together.  Was that because I was being more balanced by exercising?  It reminded me of a segment from one of my favorite TV series, "Psych."  There is a very nerdy police detective, Lassiter, who does not come across as being the brightest.  On one of the episodes he found that when he danced his thoughts came together much better.  Maybe that is what was happening to me!  So, if you see me dancing down the street, just know that I'm trying to think more clearly and have a more balanced life.  

I know there

are many recipes out there for using zucchini, which always seems to be available in such abundance at this time of the year. I've never really branched out and tried many of them.  I think the reason for that is that I've found two uses for them that I love, and I use most of my zucchini for those.  The first one is a zucchini bread recipe that I've used for years.  The second is a "Roasted Zucchini and Tomato Pasta" that I saw on Martha Stewart.

Because I have a hard time not doubling, tripling, 4 times-ing (what is the word for that) a recipe, I'm usually making a lot of whatever I'm baking.  Saturday I 4x  the recipe and ended up with 7 dozen of these little loaves. (Thank goodness for my wonderful Convection Oven that can cook 6 dozen at a time).   As of tonight there are only 2 little loaves left.  Gary is sitting next to me right now eating one, or I would have said there were 3 left.  Don't worry, we didn't eat them all.

My Favorite Zucchini Bread Recipe 

Makes 2 large loaves.

3 eggs
1 cup oil
2 cups sugar
3 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 cups raw zucchini, shredded
3 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
3 teaspoons cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon cloves
1 cup chopped nuts (optional)

Mix eggs, oil, sugar, and vanilla. Add zucchini. Mix flour and other dry ingredients and add to mixture. Add nuts. Pour into two greased and floured loaf pans (each pan approximately 6 ice cream scoops each pan). Bake at 350 degrees for an hour. (Experiment with your oven, but I usually do 350 for 25 minutes, then turn down to 325 and let cook another 20 minutes) Let cool 10 minutes before removing from pan.

Notes: I usually substitute 1/2 cup applesauce for 1/2 cup of oil. This cuts fat and also makes it more moist. Cooking times for mini pans (2 1/2 x 4) 20 to 25 minutes Cooking times for small pans (3 ice cream scoops): 25 minutes at 350, 10 minutes at 325.

I'll post the Roasted Zucchini and Tomato Pasta when I make it next.  I've got a few more zucchinis that are just about ready to pick.

Today is

Lucienne's 2nd birthday.

The best way to describe her is

 ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! !

with exclamation marks!

When she smiles, she lights up a room!

When she cries, you would think the world had come to an end!

 When she naps, she takes really good, long naps!

Which is good,

because when she's awake she is a perpetual motion machine!

She knows what she wants and lets you know it, too!

She is spunky, feisty, loving, and everything Cute!

Can't you just see all that
in her beautiful eyes?

I love you, Lucy!

We weren't able to celebrate with Lucy today.   But we were able to celebrate with my brother, Gary, who also has a birthday today.  He is 71 years older than Lucy, which makes me marvel at the cycle of life.   Lynn brought Maglebys chocolate cake (the one I get undeniable cravings for). 

 For his birthday, we gave him the gift music in the form of Natalie singing some Broadway songs for him.  

I guess I'm saying "we gave him a gift" rather broadly, since I really had nothing to do with it.   But it is always a treat to hear her sing and it really is a gift (though it is a gift I am, sadly, very lacking in).  But hey, I'm sure in the eternities I'll at least be able to sing in the heavenly choir (they couldn't kick me out could they?).

Annie Get Your Gun

We had such a good time at the Anderson Reunion in Bear Lake.  I've got some really fun pictures to post, but that will be another day.

It would have been perfect if Natalie could have been there.  She was in the play, "Annie Get Your Gun," at the Scera Shell.  We knew when she auditioned that she would have to miss the Bear Lake Reunion.  But it is such a good opportunity for her to be in plays, that we didn't want her to miss out on it.   She always says she's nervous, but you'd never know it by watching her on stage. She's a natural.  Add that to her beautiful singing voice, and she is very talented.  I'm very proud that she conquered her fear of auditions, and has gotten involved again.

 Tiffany was able to snap these pictures of her before it got too dark. 

Her Fan Club waiting for the play to start.

After the play with most of her nieces and nephews.

(We look like kind of look like a wild bunch, don't we)  

Buffalo on the Plains

When Misty and Tiffany were small, they would often give our family home evening lessons.  It was always interesting to see what they would come up with.

On one of those particular nights when Tiffany was about six, Misty had found a picture she thought would be fun to use for a visual aid.  It was a picture of an airplane.  So, she began her lesson by saying something to the effect of,  "I'm going to talk about pioneers.  They lived in a time before there were planes (shows the picture of the airplane)." 

At this point Tiffany piped in with, "There were airplanes back then."

 I corrected her and said, "No, they had not invented airplanes back then." 

She insisted that there had been and said that I had told her so. 

I tried to convince her that I would not have told her that because it was not true. 

She came back with, "But you said that back when the pioneers were alive,  there were buffalo on the planes (plains)." 

Well, she was right.  I probably had told her that there were buffalo on the plains.  I just didn't realize that when I said "plains" that she was visualizing "planes."  

I wish I were an artist and could draw what Tiffany was visualizing in her mind--An airplane filled with buffalo sitting in the seats.

You just never know what is going on in a child's mind.  And when they do tell you, it is usually a refreshingly funny light bulb moment!

Life has been

so busy that I haven't really internalized the fact that my oldest brother, Gary, and his wife, Lynn, have moved here from California.  They bought a home in the riverbottoms, less than a mile from our home.  They aren't actually living there right now, because they are doing renovations before they move in.  They are staying with Lynn's sister in Highland until the house is ready.  I will love having them so close.  We went on a tour of the house tonight and went to dinner with them.  It is a big move for them, as they have lived in the Piedmont area of California more than 45 years.  

From the time I was 10 years old, the trip to California to visit them was the big event of the year for us.  Every summer that was our destination.  Later my brother, Tom, moved to Modesto, so we had two families to visit each summer.   I've thought about those trips often this summer as we took our road trips. Back in the 60's the cars did not have air conditioning (or at least ours didn't), and we would travel across the Nevada desert with the windows open.  The hot wind would take our breath away.   As uncomfortable as that may have been, I know that was a luxury compared to the mode of travel our ancestors used when they came across the country in covered wagons and handcarts.  I can't even imagine that.  Comparing that to the comfortable air-conditioned cars (with DVD players to entertain the kids) that we traveled in this summer--well there really is no comparison.

As I'm rambling, I've just remembered a funny family story . . .  Later.

Switching

gears.  That's what I'm trying to do this morning.  It's a good thing that after Tiffany and Justin left on Saturday morning that Margie and Lance had called and were coming through town from Arizona. They had an unplanned trip to Montana and wondered if they could spend the night.   It gave me the needed impetus to vacuum, mop, and get the house cleaned up after having neglected it for so long.  After all, who wants to spend time cleaning when you have grandchildren around?  Who has time for cleaning when you have those little voices saying "grandma, will you ________ (fill in the blank) with me?"   I think I've mentioned it before, but to me the most beautiful and meaningful word in the English language is "Grandma."  

Reflections

on the past month.

It truly is easier to make a blog entry a day as opposed to every few weeks. I feel like I'm so far behind that I need to play catch-up, and I don't know where to start.  I could ask myself, "Who says you need to play catch-up or do it in chronological order?"  My answer is, "I don't know.  Maybe it is the nebulous 'they' that tell our minds that things should be done a certain way."    So, I guess I won't listen to the "they" of the universe and instead share tidbits of our activities a little at a time (and not in correct sequence like "they" think I should).

On the way to Bear Lake for the Anderson Reunion, we stopped by Gary's sister's house in Logan to visit.  We had all of our family together, and it had been a long time since Frank and Janice had seen them.  We had each family stand and introduce themselves. 

The Bishops

The Idiarts

Cousins: Tiffany, Jill, Mary Anne and Misty

Gary was looking though the life history Janice wrote,

and was impressed with this saying:

"The greatest legacy a parent can give their children

and grandchildren is a happy memory."  

When Gary later sent that quote out to us in an email to all of us, this was Misty's response. (I've added pictures of the activities she talks about if I had them.)

Happy Memories truly are a great gift we can give each other.

I can't stop thinking about how many memories we created in a short 2 and 1/2 weeks. Including the best sno-cones ever--much more than just "ice and flavoring."

I have many moments during the trip that I'd like to always have memories of:  sitting on my deck outside my room at Bear Lake and watching the sun rise and set, reading the papers with Mom in backyard while you were the "all-time" pitcher for kickball, walking with Harrison to your "neighbors" to retrieve wiffle balls, being least valuable player in laser tag, living on the edge and putting blankets in the chair section at the play, climbing fences at Nat's condo like we're criminals, Costco (need I say more), and I'll never forget the tandem bike ride with a crazy bunch of girls.

It really was you and Mom that made it all possible! Thank you, Love, Misty

I'm so grateful for the happy memories that

I have been the recipient of.

In my last blog entry

I was writing in a quiet house waiting for the Idiart crew to arrive from Oregon. Right now I'm sitting in in a quiet house, in bed, with my laptop propped up on my stomach. (At least it's a quiet house for me with my hearing aids out.)

Sometimes it is amazing to me how full-circle life is.  It shouldn't be amazing to me.  That's what life is all about.  I guess I'm just amazed that I'm at the part in the circle where I'm the older generation, the grandma generation.  I wouldn't have it any other way.  It is a wonderful stage of life.  I guess the wonder is that I always figured someone my age was much more wise and mature.  Not so.   If anything, I'm much more aware of my vulnerabilities. 

Another source of wonder to me is how each spirit who comes to earth brings it's very own personality and spirit with it.  I've witnessed those spirits the last few weeks as I've observed and enjoyed my 9 grandchildren.  Each is so unique.  They come that way.  I guess that is one thing I enjoy so much about being a grandma.  I can sit back and observe, enjoy, and marvel at the spirits in those bodies without feeling the parental need to discipline.   I leave that to their very capable parents.  I just enjoy loving them.

I have tons of pictures and memories of the last week, but I'll post those later.  Right now I think I better put my hearing aids in so I can hear the noise of little people as they wake up.  

The house is quiet

right now.  I do believe everyone is asleep but me and Gary.  We've definitely been burning the midnight oil for just about two weeks now.  We want to soak up all the family time we can. 

Gary and I are awake right now because we expect Tiffany and her family to pull in about 1:30 am.  They took off at about noon Oregon time and are driving straight through.  We are all very excited to see them.  I love it when we are all together.  There is a sense of completeness, a feeling that all is right with the world. 

Since we got home on Wednesday, we've spent a lot of time playing ball in the backyard.  We've seen "Toy Story 3," played at "Jump On It,"

miniature golfed,  attended a Baptism for a cousin, Sydni, and enjoyed the dinner after.  We went swimming at Natalie's condo and had a picnic inside after. 

We've made flower pins.   I even found Jackson making a flower pin in John Deere colors.  He said he plans to wear it when he's helping Grandpa Bishop on the Farm.  For some reason he would not let me take a picture of him wearing it in his hair. 

 Tomorrow night we are all going to see Natalie in "Annie Get Your Gun," at the outdoor Scera Shell Theatre.  On Tuesday we're off to Lagoon. 

Amazingly I'm not exhausted!

Loving who you're with has that effect on you.