Of 1931 Vintage

 

Papa’s 80 years old.  So we ce-bre-lated!  How better to  celebrate  than by: gathering and eating, and watching a video about how his grandkiddos feel about him, and playing Jeopardy with Grandpa as the Main Category?  So that’s what we did.

Papa and Liisa are great Great grandparents too.  I love how Casen’s cheeks just couldn’t be contained in this image.  How far would cheeks and lips spread if not for shoulders to stop them?

 

“Papa” the perfect name/title for the gentleman farmer who raised my gentleman cowboy.  Just the right amount of respect AND affection for the grandfather of our children who: accompanied us on umpteen road trips (never complaining about the untried miles of dirt road Jay always wanted to try), consumed a gazillion dinners and desserts with us, told and retold  unnumbered stories (all absolutely true and factual with no exaggerations, by golly).

Anna – Producer, Director and Co-star of the Grandkid Video

Kyle’s Cupcake Kabob

Big Kyle’s Stuffed Jalapeño's were amazingly delicious and amazingly GONE.  He spread centers of seeded jalapeños with softened cream cheese with chopped green onion mixed in (could also add others seasonings to taste, like creole).  Wrap each pepper with a strip of bacon and bake on a dripper pan at 225 degrees for 2 hrs (or until bacon is done)

Food is so beautiful.  We consumed some of this beauty too.

We remembered/learned things like how his leg was hurt in high school, where and when he was in the service and what his rank was.

 

 

He blew 80 candles out with one breath.  They were all crowded together on  a smaller raisin-nut cake (his favorite). 

Date Night

 

I’ve heard of stories where someone gets overbooked with two different dates at the same time.  Fortunately for me it was no nightmare.  We three had fun at ‘Gnomeo and Juliet’.

Guess Who Had a Birthday

It was DonJuhl who is not into birthdays, especially his own 23rd.  I did squeeze a little information out of him – enough to decide to fix a favorite Chicken-Broccoli Casseroleand Yellow Cake with Chocolate Frosting.  As the dinner progressed we decided to torment him further  and include some traditional candles and song (happily we had a  surprise visitor who added melody to the melody – thanks Cierra!)  We had used all the candles on Papa’s 80th celebration (THAT would deplete  anyone’s supply) but rounded up these PINK ones which were perfect.



We also did a little Juhl bashing making sure he knew:

How we admire his wearing shorts in February in Utah. (Anna’s observation) This is just one indicator that shows he is an Eternal Optimist. (Kristen’s and everyone else’s observation)

How he helped Mark and Kyle on their 3rd Grade math (we even remember the problem: What are the 2 consecutive page numbers in a book if their sum is 79?)

I really enjoy his mission stories that come out here and there.  We can see he obviously  loved his mission and was such a great missionary.

How we like to hear scriptures and prayer in Portuguese.

How he says  “Ah-men” instead of “Aye-men”. 

How we like his big bright smile, thumbs-up signs, gentle, kind, big heart.  I’ll not forget his phone call to check on Casen’s surgery.  He’ll share things that happen in his classes and practices ‘no-trace camping’.  You wouldn’t know he was here unless you see the big Brazil flag on his bedroom wall.
 
Glad Juhl had a birthday.  Fun times.

Of Primary Importance

Of Primary Children’s Hospital importance that is.  Yesterday was a big day for Casen and his mommy and daddy.  He was to get a New Noggin.  At least a newly shaped one since his head bones fused together before they should have.

Bath and piggy accounting time came before the trip to Primary Children’s Hospital.




 
Anna explains the finer details of the upcoming surgery.  Casen reasurres his mom that he's up to it. (I think that's what he was saying)


It was miles of corridors and millions of signs to read.

This one makes me laugh and cry.  He was so dear and trusting and innocent of everything happening.  Big Kyle said it was a strange feeling to hand him over to a doctor wide-eyed and wondering (Casen, not the Doctor) and then walk the opposite direction . . . to the waiting room.

Waiting, and waiting . . . And several hours later . . .

. . . reunited.






All is well, and went as the doctors expected.  He is in good hands.
(Anna’s blog and facebook have a mommy’s perspective.)

Cakes Remembered

I’m cleaning up my files of images and found some cakes I created that I can’t remember posting.  Here are some beauties to say “Farewell to Cakes” with. 
It was a great 3 year run, but my friend Dona said I would get over the craving for tasting buttercream.  I never did.  Buttercream is still dreamy and creamy and delicious, and I must save myself from myself.
So, now I have become an “Appreciator”  of these wedding beauties and not a “Creator” of them.  Family Dinnertime saved!  Oh, and Hi kids, remember me?


This one was for Aubrey and Matt.



For Natalie and William.
 








Sometimes I enjoyed doing tiny detail work, like this ring box replica sitting behind the bow.

My trademark ‘tuxedo bow’ was all my sister, Cheri’s idea.

Wishing . . .

is for . . . BEES!

It’s sooo cold.  I don’t mind – We have a cozy fireplace, downy comforters to snuggle under etc.  But outside is a different story.  Outside our critters must endure with what Mother Nature gave them.

Here’s Beth (that’s what I name all of the underlings, or worker gals.  Jay thinks I’m . . . I dunno what he thinks, he keeps it politely to himself).  So here’s Beth last spring working on some of Grandpa’s apple blossoms.  They’ll travel up to 7 miles to get their job done.

 

Here are some of the crew in happier days.  Last summer I snapped this rare sighting of AnnaBeth.  She’s the one almost in the middle with the longer abdomen.  Isn’t she purdy?  This year we are getting another hive and I am going to mark this AnnaBeth with a dot of bright pink nail polish on her back so we can see her more often!

We just checked our hunny-girls.  They are in their tight cluster at the top of their hive.  AnnaBeth (that’s Mom’s name, and the queen bee’s name, ‘cause Mom IS Queen Bee) should be right in the center of all that shivering, golden fuzziness keeping 90 degrees warm.  It’s quite a sight.  But they have a long ways to go before the first pollen of spring.  So, we made them some sugar patty cakes and placed them right among the throng.  Ideally, they are to travel slowly around the hive as a cluster during the winter consuming the honey they have stored.  But when it gets so cold for so long they often won’t break the cluster and will starve to death with honey ‘just around the corner’.  I feel for our gals.  Some years they give us gallons of their amber treasure from their amazing food factory.  We’ll try to help them now with something from our kitchen.

Funny Valentine

This is Liisa’s funny little valentine grand daughter.  We were visiting, and she was all pink and pretty and perky, and I had an itchy trigger finger. 








Little girl-hood - hearts, pink boots and finger in the nose.

Connoisseur of Comfort

Kitty only graces us with her presence when it gets cold enough outside that her whiskers threaten to snap off.  Her royal spot is under a little table on my favorite quilt. ( She does tolerate the old towel I have put there.)  In the winter she is good at: brown- nosing at the back door, sleeping, stretching and, once in a while, unsheathing her ‘playful’ daggers under the table on innocent diners.  She is a rough player.

Kitty is an anomaly – she purrs when she’s agitated, stiffens when cuddled, ignores the juiciest morsels of meat and the friendliest ‘kitty, kitty’ calls.  The only thing we have that she likes is her warm spot on the braided rug or this quilt.  Jeepers! What a Brat Cat!  Why do I put up with this?  She IS a Pritty Kitty if you like patches of shiny black and orange and perfectly groomed, gleaming white, which I do.

 

Photo shoot over, period.

P.S.  Can anybody give me a lead or advise on how to post collages on blogs?