It's been confirmed... Santa goes to New Zealand

So... after almost two weeks of no news from Josh... I finally got to talk to him. But not without some serious jumping through hoops!

Last Sunday... no email telling me when he would call on Christmas Day. Hmmmmm. Practice patience. Have a little faith. Drum the fingers nervously. Wonder how in the world this is gonna work if I don't know when I'm supposed to be home to answer the phone. So... Christmas eve here is Christmas Day there... So again, I'm confused. When exactly will he call? Christmas Eve comes and goes. No ringing of the phone. Christmas Day comes. Morning... passes. No call. We go to a movie around 1:00pm. I'm a little concerned about potentially missing a call, but whaddya gonna do when everyone wants to go to a movie? So... off we go. Then there's talk about seeing a double feature. Gulp! Panic and worry in my gut. Please no. Not four hours away from the phone. You see, I have no answering machine on my home phone. While I'd much rather have an interactive conversation with Josh, I was really heartsick thinking he'd not even be able to leave a message that he had tried to call and we weren't there.

Whew!!! Valkyrie (sp?) over (yeah, yeah, I know it's not exactly a Christmasy kind of movie) and we are heading for the door and not the ticket booth again. We get home. I check the caller ID. No calls at all.

Just to end the suspense, I'll tell you I went to bed that night with... no call at all. Disappointed.

So, Monday morning I check my cell phone. The little icon for a phone message was displayed. I listen in and a very British gentleman has left a message for me. I don't know exactly when he left it. I put my phone on "silent" in the theater and forgot about it until the next morning. Anyway, it's Josh's mission president. Seems a few of the missionaries have been having trouble getting through... he thinks it must be a problem with their phone. So he has called to tell me it's alright if I call Josh. He leaves a number. I frantically write it down. And make the call... (Can you feel the suspense and excitement building?)

Ring.... Ring.... Ring. And a woman's voice answers. (That's weird.) I identify myself as Elder Chichoni's mother. She identifies herself as Elder MacDonald's mother... living in Melbourne, Australia. Now... I realize Josh has just been transferred, but really? To another mission? In another country? She's very nice. And politely explains it's 5:30 in the morning in Australia. Lucky for me, she has just sent her daughter off to a Young Adult Conference so I shouldn't worry my sweet self about waking her up... she was already awake. Then she proceeds to explain that she has a son in the Wellington New Zealand mission and she spoke with him yesterday. Seems he was having trouble with the phones so his mission president called her and explained the situation and gave her the number of her son's "flat" (apartment) and told her she could call direct. We put our heads together and figured that the president got the phone numbers confused when he called me. Instead of giving me the number of the flat, he gave me the number of the MacDonald family. "No problem," she says, "I've been a bit 'wicked' and didn't throw the phone number away. Let me get it for you."

Crisis averted. I get the number. Thank my new international friend with the cool Australian accent, and hang up. I call the new number. Ring.... Ring.... A male voice answers, "Missionaries." (Interesting way to answer a phone.) I explain that I am Elder Chichoni's mother and ask who I am speaking to. "Elder MacDonald." "Oh, I just talked to your mother." By now, I'm sure he's surprised. He covers well, "Sweet," he says. So I ask to speak to Elder Chichoni. He says, "Um, Elder Chichoni doesn't live here. I'll get you his number."

Ring.... Ring.... A male voice answers, "Missionaries." (Doubly interesting.) "This is Elder Chichoni's mom, may I..." "MOM!!!!"

And so it begins. He's fine. He's dandy. He says hello and Merry Christmas to you all!!! He sends an "I love you" to Grandma, Jon, Spencer, Kay, 'the girls', Uncle Mike, Brett, Rob, and a very efficient "everybody else." (By the way, lest you think he's inconsiderate not sending an "I love you" to his sister, Katie.. trust me, there was no need to send any message to her. He talked to her for 40 minutes.)

He talks funny. He has an accent. He says weird words in the wrong places in sentences. I smiled. I laughed. I listened. I talked. I DID NOT CRY. Until I hung up. And then it wasn't sad tears. Not a one. I'm just so grateful to the Lord for blessing my son with this experience.

Oh... and he's gained 24 pounds. Katie fondly calls him "Chubs." He claims it's all thigh muscle from riding a bike everywhere he goes. Ummmmmm... well..... okay.

Oh... and for those 'in the know': No worries. He informed us that Brittney is engaged. (Obviously not to Josh.) We are very happy for her. Wish her much happiness in her future life... without Josh. Whew!!!

Just your standard update

Jon is busy, busy, busy. Football is over, however all the other associations and clubs he belongs to are still going strong... with another one (DECA) to be added after the Christmas holiday. He was instrumental in getting a tree into the “Festival of Trees” this year. He is on the high school newspaper staff and so he raised the money for the journalism class to donate the tree. They entitled it “The Gift of Literacy” and decorated it with book-type ornaments and stuff. He got some bookstores around the valley to donate copies of the Twilight series, all the Harry Potter books, and a bunch of individual books as well. They placed all of those at the base of the tree as well. The tree sold at the auction before the public viewing event. He was thrilled to find that out.

Many of you have asked how Josh is doing. I wish I could tell you. But I haven’t heard from him since the Sunday before Thanksgiving. I check my email every Sunday afternoon (New Zealand is 18 hours ahead of us.) But, for the past two weeks, there has been nothing in my Inbox. I’m hoping he’s doing well. I’m assuming he’s doing well. Maybe next Sunday, I’ll know for sure.

Katie is busy. I don’t know exactly what she’s doing, but there’s a lot of motion and movement, so she’s at least busy. She works two part-time jobs and is still taking her Medical Assisting class. She has an active social life. She’s in Relief Society each week. That’s a little trippy. I’m used to be the only person I’m related to in Relief Society. Now, my daughter’s there every week.

Spencer is playing basketball for his school this year. We’ve been to one game so far. This week, his game is in Price, so I don’t know if we’ll make the trip. He was working at the same place Rob and Katie work, but I don’t think he’s working anymore, now that basketball practice and games take up most of his time.

My mom came to spend the Thanksgiving holiday with us. She arrived the Sunday before Turkey Day, so we had everyone here for dinner that night. Brett & Juliann were leaving the next day for California (and then London for Brett), so we had to squeak in a family dinner before they left. Mae is adorable. (Yeah, what else were you expecting? Of course, we are all COMPLETELY impartial and unbiased, right?) I’m sure my mom was anticipating seeing everyone, but, frankly, the thing she seemed to always say to me was, “I can’t wait to see *that baby*!!!” You know, I have to add here... as much as I love to see Mae (and wish we could see her more often), once Brett & Juliann get here, I seem to enjoy sitting and visiting with Juliann as much as having Mae in the house to pass around from arms to arms. She's a great mom and is very sweet to Brett. -- I think she kinda likes him ;) But, in addition to that she is open and friendly. She's interesting to talk to and visit with. I have to say... I like her a lot!

Rob and Rachel made the announcement that they have set an official wedding date: May 22nd. Oh gosh, now I’m not sure... was it the 22nd or the 23rd? Crud, I’ll have to call someone and ask. Anyway, Rob has moved into his own apartment. He and Rachel have been painting and putting up baseboards and chair rail... doing the ‘fix it up’ thing. Cool!

Well, I guess that’s the update.

The missionary

I've had a couple requests for Josh's mission address, so here it is:

Elder Joshua Chichoni
New Zealand Wellington Mission
6 Hagley Street
PO Box 50448
Porirua, Wellington 6006
New Zealand

And, here's a picture of him:

Whew!!! Glad THAT's over!

I don't necessarily have any opinions to share. (Surprising, I know!) But, I just wanted to say: It seemed like November 4th would never get here! I'm glad to say... it's now November 6th. Aaaahhh. Time does march on! I'm surprised how happy I am to have Depends commercials and Tylenol commercials and "Gold is a good investment" commercials interrupt my viewing pleasure instead of the constant barrage of political commercials. Aaahhhhhh! Here's to some peace and quiet on the daily TV/radio/internet grind.

Time warp ... oh my gosh!

Ever wonder what you would have looked like if you had been born earlier? I just found a website that lets you find out. I have a lot of time on my hands today and well, I've been crackin' myself up looking at all of these options. So... why not share the laughter???

Here we go (in order of appearance): 1960, 1964, 1966, 1974, 1978, 1980













Okay... so, let's have a vote... Which was my best year? Go back up to the top and cast your vote.

From peaches to apples

I bought a bushel of apples from the local orchard last week. Saturday I decided I was ready to do something with them. I'm not big on canning apples, but the nice man at the orchard gave me his daughter's recipe for Apple Pie Filling. I thought, "what the heck" so I bought the apples and took the recipe home with me. So, now we have 18 quarts of apple pie filling all canned and down in the cold storage.

Well... hmmm, actually I guess it's 17 quarts because last night I dumped the contents of one of those blessed jars into a baking dish, covered it with a crumble topping and baked it right up. A scoop of vanilla ice cream on top and voilá -- Apple Crisp!!! So fast, so easy.

Yep, it's going to be a yummy winter at our house this year.

Apple Pie Filling (for canning)

4 cups sugar
1 cup cornstarch
1 heaping tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1 tsp salt

Mix all together. Heat 10 cups water to boiling; add sugar mixture and stir till dissolved. Then add 3 Tbsp lemon juice and 3 drops yellow food coloring. Heat until thickened. Pour into 6 quart jars filled with sliced apples. Process jars in a water bath canner for 20 minutes. (I used a combination of Jonagold and Jonathan apples.) Note: if you have an Apple Peeler/Slicer/Corer, getting the apples in the jars is a lot quicker and easier. Like I said, I did a whole bushel's worth. I was done in about 1 1/2 hours total time. I ended up with 20 quarts -- gave 2 to the neighbor that loaned me her canning equipment.

Peaches

Canned. Crisped. Cobblered. Jammed. Peaches. One of the benefits of living in Utah is access to the best peaches in the country. Yeah, yeah... I know all about Georgia peaches. But, with all due respect, like my great-grandfather used to say to my Mom: “Peaches grow in Texas, they grow in Georgia, too; but it takes a state like Utah to grow a peach like you.”

Well, okay, that was more about my mom than the peaches, but nevertheless, Utah peaches are SO GOOD. And, this year, I’ve got a boatload of them. We have an orchard just up the road from our house. Last year, I went and bought two bushels of them. Luckily, my son, Josh, was home and he and I spent an entire day canning peaches. We ended up with 42 quart bottles and 24 pint bottles. They were de-lish. And... they lasted all the way from last September to this past June. They lasted longer in the house than Josh did. He’s been in New Zealand since January. But, every time we’d pull out a bottle of peaches, I’d think of him. I’d remember that day he was busy peeling, slicing and filling jars with sugar and water. Okay... excuse me a minute while I go have a little cry...

I’m back. Hands and face washed and tissue in hand. This year, well, I had to do it without him. True to form, where was the camera last year!?! (See my previous camera post. Aaarrrrgh!) Anyway, still no camera, so you'll have to take my word for it rather than picture proof of my labors. Total count: 67 quarts and 3 freezer bags of sliced peaches to be used throughout the winter for smoothies, cobblers and crisps. It’s anybody’s guess how long these will last. Maybe I'll save the very last bottle to serve when Josh comes home from New Zealand.

Okay, I just have to say it...

I'm sure you will all lose boatloads of respect for me (as if you had any already... but I digress). Well, here it goes:

I have a favorite blog I read a lot. It's called Confessions of a Pioneer Woman. I really like this woman. (I've never met her, but I like her writings, her humor, well... I like her whole blog.) I'm sure if I were her neighbor (fat chance of THAT ever happening), we would be best buds.

Anyway, she just returned from a trip to Arizona with her husband. She posted lots of pictures of saguaro cacti (plural for cactus - are you impressed that I know that?). Well... I just have to say it: Saguaro cactus look like mother nature's way of flipping people off. Really... That's the first thing I thought of when I looked at the photographs she posted. The thought went right through my head, "Oh my, that looks like a hand flippin' the bird."

Now, I had to drive Interstate 10 (THREE TIMES in 18 months) and well, the desert is pathetic. Hot, barren, and it seems to go on forever when you're trying to escape Texas and get back to San Diego. After surviving west Texas (true armpit scenery), you end up smack dab in the New Mexico desert. Just when you think you can't stand any more of it, you cross into Arizona... MORE OF THE SAME -- ONLY WORSE. And that's when she does it! Mother nature knows your mindset. She knows what you've been thinking as you've driven through the barren wasteland... and boom, she tells you what she thinks of it all. She starts flippin' you the bird ALL OVER THE PLACE!!!!

"Ha ha, little human. You thought you'd be out of this by now... You're ready for palm trees, sea breezes and ocean views... but Noooooooooo (evil laugh inserted). You've got 10 more hours of this, easy. Bwahhh haaah haahhh."

I dunno. I just think those cactus plants look like they are throwin' some real attitude.



Admit it. You see it too.

I’m missing Argentina...

Oh my gosh. It’s almost an agony. I’ve been keeping my nose to the grindstone and working a lot the past two weeks. Since it’s just me, my computer and my home office... sometimes the silence is a little bleak. So I loaded a lot of my music into iTunes. While I work, I listen to music. It helps. Anyway, so today, I scour through my tunes and find tangos... lots and lots of them. It doesn’t take much, just a few bars and I almost can’t stand it. I WANT TO BE IN BUENOS AIRES SO BADLY!!! The music starts and I can see it all in my mind’s eye: the city streets, the colectivos, panaderias (bakeries), carnecerias (butcher shops), the pulse of the people moving on the sidewalks, the houses, the architecture of the public buildings... AAARRRRGH! I want to be there. I want to hear the people speaking Castellano with the lilt and rhythm of the Argentina accent (which, by the way, doesn’t sound like an accent to me. It sounds “right,” the way Spanish should sound. It’s all the other nationalities that have accents.) I want to speak in Spanish instead of English. It is poetic, expressive and creative. Every country has a smell, a scent. If you travel, you’ll know what I mean. I want to smell Argentina again.

There are people there I want to see. Some I haven’t seen in 25 years. Unreal. I want to sit together and drink ‘mate’(pronounced MAH-tay). I want to buy milk in plastic bags (that always cracked me up). I admit, I want the sideways glances of people trying to figure out who the heck I am. I look like a ‘norteamericana’, but thanks to native companions during the months I was learning Spanish and an Argentine ex-husband, I speak with a native Argentine accent. I have to confess, I’m pretty proud of that. I hold it as a great accomplishment. I loved it when investigators or members would ask me which province I was from.

You know, there’s a feeling people get when they are going ‘home’ (wherever ‘home’ is). Every time we travel to San Diego I get that feeling at a certain point on I-15 just coming into San Diego County - just beyond Fallbrook. The only other place I have ever felt the exact same thing is flying into Ezeiza International Airport in Buenos Aires. I’ve returned twice after my first time there. The first return trip was three years after I had finished my mission. The sense of “coming home” surprised me. I wasn’t expecting it. I spent six months working and studying there and loved every minute. And ten years later, when I went again for a two-week visit, the same sensation happened. Truth is, I always thought I would live there for a time. That didn’t happen. Or, at least, it hasn’t happened yet. But today, for a plug nickel and a visa stamped in my passport, I’d jump on a plane right now.

Mi Buenos Aires querido,
cuando yo te vuelva a ver,
no habrá más penas ni olvido.

El farolito de la calle en que nací
fue el centinela de mis promesas de amor,
bajo su inquieta lucecita yo la vi
a mi pebeta luminosa como un sol.

Hoy que la suerte quiere que te vuelva a ver,
ciudad porteña de mi único querer,
oigo la queja de un bandoneón,
dentro del pecho pide rienda el corazón.

Mi Buenos Aires, tierra florida
donde mi vida terminará.
Bajo tu amparo no hay desengaño
vuelan los años, se olvida el dolor.

En caravana los recuerdos pasan
como una estela dulce de emoción,
quiero que sepas que al evocarte
se van las penas del corazón.

Mi Buenos Aires querido,
cuando yo te vuelva a ver,
no habrá más penas ni olvido.

Four Drivers - Six Cars

It’s a wonder my neighbors don’t call a tow truck. So... we have a gas-guzzling full-size SUV (it doesn’t see much of the road these days), two 1993 Grand Prix’s (long story about why there are two of them, but hey, there you are), a fairly new family sedan that the oldest member of the family uses to drive to work (here’s where I would insert an icon with a smiley face sticking its tongue out – if I had it), another beater car that only one member of the family is allowed to drive (another long story - don’t even ask. I’m not going into it, not even in another post) -- and our fondest member of the fleet: a very dead, going nowhere, burned up transmission Toyota that belonged (belongs?) to my nephew who is going to BYU-Idaho. So... we’re a parking lot and a junkyard as well as a taxi hub.

However, something happened yesterday. Knock on the front door and an hispanic lady was there. She asked about the Toyota and if we were interested in selling it. Weird. I had to be honest and tell her it didn’t run and it would take more to fix it than it was worth. It would need a new engine. At that point I turned it over to The Captain. He talked to her and said she was still somewhat interested in it. So, he told her for $200 she could have it. Don’t know if we’ll see her again, but wouldn’t it be great to have one less vehicle crowding up the front of the house?

Enemy of the Slim Hips - Another food recipe

So, summer is winding down. I don't know about your place, but around here my daughter and her friend have been on a S'mores bender this summer. I don't know how many packages of marshmallows have passed through our pantry on their way to some fire ring somewhere. Don't know how much profit we've provided to Hershey's Company, but... trust me, it's been considerable.

So... now comes the cooler weather. No more campouts. So what do you do with all those S'Mores cravings??? Yeah, yeah, I know all about using the microwave, but it isn't quite the same. No 'smoky burnt marshmallow on top' taste. Here's my solution:
S'Mores Pie. Enjoy!

1. 1 graham cracker crumb crust, baked and cooled completely (you can make your own, or just buy a Keebler graham cracker crust already made - the extra serving size)
2. 7 ounces fine-quality bittersweet or semi-sweet chocolate (NOT unsweetened), finely chopped
3. 1 cup heavy cream
4. 1 large egg, at room temperature
5. 1 teaspoon unflavored gelatin
6. 1/2 cup cold water
7. 3/4 cup sugar
8. 1/4 cup light corn syrup
9. 1/2 teaspoon vanilla

1. Make chocolate cream filling: Make graham cracker crumb crust and reserve.
2. Put oven rack in middle position and preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Put chocolate in a large bowl. Bring cream just to a boil in a 1- to 1 1/2-quart heavy saucepan, then pour hot cream over chocolate. Let stand 1 minute, then gently whisk until chocolate is melted and mixture is smooth. Gently whisk in egg and a pinch of salt until combined and pour into graham cracker crumb crust (crust will be about half full).
3. Cover edge of pie with a pie shield or foil and bake until filling is softly set and trembles slightly in center when gently shaken, about 25 minutes. Cool pie to room temperature on a rack (filling will firm as it cools), about 1 hour.
4. Make marshmallow topping: Sprinkle gelatin over 1/4 cup cold water in a large deep heatproof bowl and let stand until softened, about 1 minute.
5. Stir together sugar, corn syrup, a pinch of salt, and remaining 1/4 cup water in cleaned 1- to 1 1/4-quart heavy saucepan. Bring to a boil over moderate heat, stirring until sugar is dissolved, then boil until thermometer registers 260 degrees F, about 6 minutes.
6. Begin beating water and gelatin mixture with an electric mixer at medium speed, then carefully pour in hot syrup in a slow stream, beating (avoid beaters and side of bowl). When all of syrup is added, increase speed to high and continue beating until mixture is tripled in volume and very thick, about 5 minutes. Add vanilla and beat until combined, then immediately spoon topping onto center of pie filling; it will slowly spread to cover top of pie. Chill, uncovered, 1 hour, then cover loosely with lightly oiled plastic wrap (oiled side down - duh) and chill 3 hours more.
7. Brown topping: Preheat broiler.
8. Transfer pie to a baking sheet. Remove plastic wrap from pie. Cover edge of pie with pie shield or foil and broil 3 to 4 inches from heat, rotating pie as necessary, until marshmallow topping is golden brown, about 3 minutes. Cool pie on a rack 10 minutes. Slice pie with a large heavy knife dipped in hot water and then dried with a towel before cutting each slice.
Note: You can make this pie (minus the browning step) and chill it up to 1 day before needing it. Then pull it out of the fridge and follow the browning step just before serving.

And the last shall be first: Introducing Jon

Youngest son. Doesn’t get to do anything first... so I figured I’d introduce him first. (yeah, it’s the little things that make me such a great mom.) Football. Swimming. Weightlifting, FBLA (Future Business Leaders of America), DECA (don’t ask me what it stands for but it’s something to do with a student Marketing and Business Development Association), HOSA (Health Occupation Something Association)... yeah... he’s into all of it. And good at all of it.

I got a letter from the high school recently warning me that my son was not “on track” to graduate from high school next spring. So, I had to make a call... “Ummm, this is Jon’s mom. I got this letter.”

“Yes Mrs. Jon’s Mom. We are concerned because Jon is only enrolled in two high school classes this year, and well, there are quite a few credit hours he will need to complete in order to graduate high school this year.”

“Yes, I’m aware he’s only in two HS classes. Were you aware that’s because all five of his other classes are EdNet college classes through Utah Valley University? You know, the ones that count for both college and high school credit?”

Silence. “Uh, no.”

“Well, yeah. In fact, if you total up the credits from the college courses he took last year as a junior, I think you will find he’s already got enough credits to graduate from high school. In fact, by the end of this school year, I think he’ll be three college courses away from his Associate’s degree. He’s staying enrolled at the HS so he can play football, compete in swimming and weightlifting, get as many college classes at the discounted high school tuition rate as possible, participate in FBLA, DECCA and HOSA (excuse me while I take a breath)... oh, and date and go to Prom.”

So... that’s Jon. He’s 17. He’s a blast. He’s intense. He’s driven. But, between you and me... his music drives me bonkers! He’s got an annoying habit of taking his CD player into the bathroom and cranking it up so he can hear it when he’s in the shower. I’ve tried the patient route. (No go.) I’ve tried the “can you please turn it down” route. Doesn’t work consistently. Finally, a while ago, I confess, my nerves were sufficiently frazzled and I lost it. So I barked at him: “Why is it you are the only person in the family that has to have music to wash their butt by?” (Not my best parental moment.) But, the great thing about Jon? He loves me even during my not-so-great moments. So I guess I may have to pick my fights a little more judiciously... and buy some Extra-Strength Tylenol in the meantime. Or earplugs... yeah, earplugs... That might work.

My first food post (Trust me, there's gonna be a lot of these)

As some of you know, I am crazy about baking. Cooking -- not so much, but baking is nirvana. I recently had a fairly large family group show up and it was my pleasure to serve a brunch. And let me tell you, it was fun and we had plenty to eat. One of the recipes was a real hit, so I thought I'd share it with you. It is NOT mine. It came from one of my favorite cookbooks: "Morning Food" by Margaret Fox.

The recipe is Warm Berries and Peaches with Shortcake Biscuits & Whipped Cream. (You think the name is a mouthful.... Wait till you get a taste of these! They are TO DIE FOR good.)

For the fruit mixture:
2 cups blueberries
2 tablespoons white sugar
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon cornstarch
Pinch of salt
2 small or 1 large peach, peeled, and cut into eighths
3 cups raspberries
2 tablespoons raspberry eau-de-vie (instead I used a mixture of raspberry syrup and water - equal portions)

For the shortcake biscuits:
2 cups flour
6 tablespoons sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup unsalted butter, cut into 1-teaspoon-sized pieces, and frozen
2 cups and 2 tablespoons heavy whipping cream, divided
1 egg yolk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract, divided

To prepare the fruit: Combine the blueberries, 2 tablespoons sugar, lemon juice, cornstarch, and salt in a non-aluminum saucepan. Bring to a boil and reduce the heat, simmering until the mixture thickens and a sauce forms, about 10 minutes. Stir occasionally to prevent sticking. Add the peaches and cook for 1 minute, then remove from heat, and gently fold in the raspberries and eau-de-vie. Set aside.

To prepare the biscuits: Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. In a food processor, place the flour, 2 tablespoons sugar, baking powder, and salt. Blend briefly. Add the butter and pulse until the butter is the size of peas. Pour mixture into a bowl, add 1 cup of the cream, and combine with a fork until moistened. Immediately turn out onto a lightly floured board and knead about 10 times. Small lumps of butter should be visible. Roll out to a 3/4-inch thickness. Keep dough in a square shape. Cut into 6 pieces and place on an ungreased cookie sheet. (You can do this either with a knife, for square biscuits, or with biscuit cutters for round ones. If you don’t have biscuit cutters, you can also use one end of a clean 8-oz tomato sauce can.)

Mix the egg yolk with 2 tablespoons of cream and 1/2 teaspoon vanilla, and brush on the tops of the biscuits. Sprinkle with 2 tablespoons sugar. Bake 15 to 20 minutes or until golden brown.

To make the whipped cream: Add the remaining 2 tablespoons of sugar to the remaining 1 cup of whipping cream, along with 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract. Beat until soft peaks form. Refrigerate. (It is helpful if, before adding the cream, sugar and vanilla to the bowl you have first chilled the bowl in the freezer for about 10 minutes.)

To assemble: When cool, split the biscuits and place the bottom half of each onto a plate or in a bowl. Add one-sixth of the berry mixture, and garnish with a dollop of whipped cream. Place the tops on, slightly off-center, and serve immediately.

I need a camera!!!

That's all. I simply need a camera. One that will capture all the moments that memories can't be relied on to maintain in the coming years. I realize it's too late to go back in time and take snapshots of the images that are already in my memory. However, considering the gene pool I swim in, my memory could go at any time in the future. So, I need to end the loss as soon as possible and get a camera. A GOOD camera.

Case in point! My husband and I have just returned from seeing Mae. The very first granddaughter in our clan. And... did I think to bring a camera??? Nope!! I can see her in my mind's eye (or Brett & Juliann's blog)... but, that's it. So, how exactly am I going to convince my friends that yes, I am now a hip, happenin' grandma if I don't have any pictures I carry around to prove it? What was I thinking? Wait -- here's the answer: I wasn't thinking.

So... time to get a camera. And in the meantime, I'll figure out how to steal a picture from Brett & Juliann's blog just to show that my memory is accurate. Mae IS beautiful.

So now I'm old...

I have a son on a mission in New Zealand. I have a daughter entering college in 4 months. I have a son who is a high school senior. If I'm allowed to count my stepsons in my life trajectory (and I do - my musings on the problematic word "step" will come in a later post), I have a stepson old enough now to not qualify for our insurance any longer. I have another stepson who is a high school senior. I have a stepson and a stepdaughter-in-law (see how awkward that "step" word keeps being?) who are new parents -- making me a (I refuse to use that "S" word again) GRANDMOTHER.

I have accumulated a 13-year-old previous marriage, three years of "divorced" status, and a current marriage trying to be six-years old. If I were one of those that "got it right the first time" I'd be looking to celebrate 22 years of marriage. Forget the coupling failures -- just look at the numbers. I've accumulated that much adult life...

Yep, I am officially old. What the heck!?! When did this happen? How am I supposed to feel about it? I know that I have crossed over because thoughts about retirement funds, the state of the nation, healthcare, children's college costs, and dwindling job options bounce around in my head daily. I gave up counting individual gray hairs long ago. I'm sure Lancome doesn't even make a wrinkle cream that will help stave off the laugh lines (or cry lines if I'm feeling pessimistic). Oh, let's be honest, in another couple of years, if things continue to head in the direction they're going, my nipples and my navel will be able to have face-to-face conversations with each other on a bra-less day.

So why start a blog now? At my age? Well, I guess if I'm going to go into middle-age kicking and screaming, why not scream here in public? (After all, I'm both an Aries AND a middle child.) I'll try welcoming the opportunities of this stage of life. I'm sure there will be surprises. I'm going to exercise a little faith that it's a phase of life worth entering into full-force. Exuberance! Excitement! I've "embraced" the sags, the wrinkles, the headaches my teenage son's music gives me. I guess I'll "embrace" the age thing.

So, bear with me as this blog becomes a work in progress. I'll get some pictures posted, some music to share with you all. Some things that'll make it worth your time to come by and visit.