Blender Bottle Was Broken

My blender jar broke, cause I left a spoon in.

Those blades whipped it around as it flopped in a spin.

The bottle didn’t have a chance. It cracked like sin.

Then leaked something awful, I just couldn’t win. 

 

 So I bought a new one when they went on sale.   I was so glad to replace it.  I won't miss the leaking, or out of shape top, that happened in the dishwasher, when it was pretty new.  

I have to be careful no spoons or dryer cycle for this one.  Use extra care and maybe it will last longer than the broken and abused one I have babied for five years.  

But It's Not About Black Friday

Black Friday and Cyber Monday have gone bye, bye. their emails were as pesky as a fruit fly, Nagging us worse than parents over some guy. Now, we can celebrate Christmas, or at least try!

I am still getting Black Friday emails after two weeks.  Retailers are going overboard to make their bottom line and the big bucks.   I am so tired of the "Last day" offers I could scream.   Really, there will never be a last day, unless it is my own or they close down.  

Christmas is about spending family time together, sharing memories and most of all celebrating the birth of Jesus Christ.  

Fitting In a Father's Interview

This father’s interview went pretty well. “So Max, you are eating great and that is swell. Be nice to your bro & tell us when you smell. Help mom. Stay young & cute.” Job’s done, pell mell.

This darling photo Sarah took of Jory and Max looks like he is conducting one of many Father's interviews. If only they could run so smoothly. Years from now when Max is a teen, who knows, it may be a little tougher.

Begin With Barn Wood

Found this big turkey strutting in the yard, Showing off his tail and acting like the guard. I snapped of photo of him and put it on a card. Maybe I'll even make some, if it's not too hard.

We have lots of barn wood, so this big guy could accent our porch. I may even have Allan make some for family & friends. Our hair stylist sent this photo and we need to make one for her. I love how many ideas there are knocking around. Who knows, this one may have come from Pinterest.

Which Way to the Right Witch?

Halloween is just ten days away. Have you been to see the witches display? Take your little ones, do not delay. Are they brave enough to sit with them and play?

Gardiner Village is still one of my favorite places to go with the grandkids. Here's Kade and Noah at least ten years ago and still just as cute as ever. This little guy is now thirteen. He is almost as tall as the witch shown, but what a brave boy he was to sit by them and show no fear. He still is pretty fearless.

Peanut Packs and Max

The little guy in the box of peanuts is Max. He found a new toy climbed in, leaving no tracks. Just some common peanuts that stores use in packs. All kids love something different. These are the facts.

We received this oblong box full of packing peanuts and some roll bars for our Rhino, along with a seat. While Dad and Jory installed the new pieces on the four wheeler, Max kept himself busy climbing in, under and amongst the shipping materials.

A built in baby-sitter for a half hour and we didn't even care if he made a mess, because it was in the garage, and easy to clean up.

Proud of Pampas Grass

My neighbor gave me a start of pampas grass. Hers was cool looking and gave the yard class. Mine died down to nothing, was forgotten alas. But came back strong in this amazing mass.

I couldn't even remember planting it, because it had disappeared out of sight. There were just a few winsome leaves bent over like a day lily last year. With the spring rains it got a good start, pushing up higher and higher. I finally took note and this photo. Wow! I now have a great bunch of beautiful pampas grass. Would you like a start? Be my guest.

Brayle, Beautiful and Brawny

She doesn't sing, dance or the piano play. But has great talents in another way. Can dead lift 275 pounds, hip, hurray! Will she be Homecoming Queen? Vote yes, today.

I was too plain and shy to try out for any school beauty contest. Brayle, was one of the six finalists. For her talent she dead lifted 225 pounds, then tried upping it to 275 and made it, her personal best!! She excels in sports, softball, volleyball and basketball because of her height, 5'8". Playing for years in front of crowds has given her courage to perform and not fear.

In a group shot modeling their gowns with the others, Brayle was the most modest and showed her true colors of standing out. She has always tried to be an example and stand for the right. You go girl!!

Colorful, Cool Canyon

An lovely ride in the canyon, on the Alpine Loop. In my arms the brilliant colors I wish to scoop. Or march around snapping photos like a scout troop. Very soon the cold & storms will make them droop. Good bye, Oh Poop!

Last year we went too late to see the autumn leaves and missed them. Even though it is still summer, the storms and cold will beat the color out of them. Splashes of bright red, scarlet, burgundy, orange, rust, yellow, tan and green hues dotted the mountain slopes.

Then a storm rolled in a few days later stealing away the best ones. Who knows what happened or it looks like now.

Kayaking, Cause It Was Cool

We were pooped, but the kayak was at the lake. So we took a nap, had some sup & a break. It was heavy, far to carry & my hand did ache, We slipped it in the water and took turns paddling. Cake!

Silver Lake Flats, above Granite Flats in American Fork Canyon is up a bumpy, winding road. The water is very low and it has just been enlarged to double its usual size. We had to carry the kayak from the road about 1/4 mile to reach the water. It was a killer for me, the wimp.

Oh, but I really wanted to give it a spin on this remote lake. Even though we had just completed a five mile hike, I talked Allan into having a nap and give kayaking a whirl. So we did. The water was so calm as we veered away from the many fisherman along the shore. I think we will really like this kind of boating. Our new kayak even has places for fishing gear. Yeah!!

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A Crane's Journey of 130 Miles

Allan had a job in East Carbon yesterday. We left at 6, because it’s 130 miles away. Got to Spanish Fork summit by 7 a.m. Hurray! Road construction on Highway 6. It’s a small delay.

‘Passed’ the Port of Entry & truck was ‘A’ okay! Entered Castle Country and had a lovely day. Found the East Carbon turn-off sign pointing the way. Crane & man was at the job. Let’s set up and stay.

Allan invited me to go with him to do a crane job in East Carbon, while he took materials off of a newly completed church roof. While driving up Spanish Fork Canyon, I decided to document the trip. It is fun to share what we did as we journeyed to Carbon County. Neither of us knew this tiny town existed. We arrived on the job at 8:30 a.m. and Allan got right to work. Total time craning was about two hours, including securing the load he was bringing home and retracting the crane. I took a mile walk on their paved trail. Here's a few photos of the town hall and park.

Go to 'thecrankycrane.blogspot.com Blog to see the crane in action and hear the rest of the story.

Finally Feet Up, It's a First

It's the last busy day for weeks and he's glad. Finally time to put his feet up. Is that bad? Happy, hugs, friends, family, fun, and sometimes mad. Take a sip and ponder about things. He's a lad!

The last night of their visit Alicia and family stopped for a few last minute trampoline jumps, hugs, family fun or fights. Then they needed a drink or treat. Josh wanted milk. He slipped into the zero gravity chair on the deck and I snapped this cute photo of him relaxing. We will miss you little buddy.

Scones Success

When the grandkids come to town, they make this request: "Grams, will you make scones for breakfast? They’re the best!" I say, "Sure, come on over and be my guest" It’s the only food I make which passes the ‘kid’s’ test.

I make few things the grand children will eat. Scones! Every time they come town, they ask me to make scones. A good deal of what I make ends up in the trash, except these golden brown puffs. Scones Makes 10-12 1 cup warm water 1 Tablespoon Sugar 1 Teaspoon salt 1 Tablespoon oil Mix and add ½ Tbl Yeast Stir in 3 cups flour, One cup at time. You will have to hand mix in the last cup. Let rest 20 minutes. Roll onto cutting board to about 10” x 12 ‘. Use a pizza cutter to cut. Heat oil til a bit of dough sizzles. Drop each piece into oil, turn over when golden brown. Drain on paper towels Eat with honey or sugar.

Reunion & River Running

It was our annual family outing. Almost everyone came and no pouting. Floated the Provo River with laughter and shouting, Splashing, smiles and some master scouting.

As your family gets older with teens of their own, it becomes much harder to get together, especially if three families live out of state. No amount of planning will make it succeed until everyone is on board. We had the perfect spot at Vivian Park in Provo Canyon, right next to the play land, river and lots of shade trees. How lucky is that. We could look up the river to see if our raft had made it down. Amongst the millions of tubes, it was pretty tricky. Parking was at a premium. Three runs later we were hot, tired and ready to go home.

We met at 9am, sharing a scone and French toast breakfast with fruit, etc. Then headed out with a lunch in tow. The six man raft was rented from BYU which included oars, life jackets and a pump for $80. What a deal! Tubes rent for $15 each trip at the river. With our three trips it calculated out to be about $5. The most fun of all was being together, laughing, splashing and having a great time. Little Max even ran the rapids.

Angels Among Us -Today Was Her Birthday

July 20th is Mom's birthday. It's just past the middle of the summer months, June, July & August and easy to remember. When we were kids, we would make a freezer full of ice cream or she'd buy her favorite, Maple Nut. I had some a few weeks ago. It was more delicious than I remember. Mom would make a German Chocolate dripper cake, too and take it easy for the day.

She loved seeing her great-grand children. There are 59 or 60 in all now. The youngest two are Junie, Melody's baby and Russell, Alyson & Stephen's. We weren't ready when she left us, but I am sure she knows these two little ones and others that have come along in the past five years.

Mom was a friendly gal, one of a kind. She stopped folks in the store, but they didn't mind, Or someone in the check-out she stood behind, To talk about gardens or watermelon rind.

These two angels are the first children and the joy of their families and came at the perfect time, with love and comfort to all. Best wishes the new Moms & Dads and our parents in heaven. From all of us.

Greeting from Glacier National Park

Greetings from Glacier National Park, Where our family had a reunion as we did embark. We skipped rocks, hiked, saw waterfalls & stayed til dark. What a fun time to be together and a lark!

This was a place no one had been to before. We talked about it a year ago and made plans in the middle of winter. Not everyone could go, but fourteen of us made the trek. what fun to be together discovering this beautiful place and each other, too. Our first things to do was skip rocks on McDonald Lake. See the towering mountains in the distance.

There were waterfalls at every turn, garden walls, wild life, sharp drop-offs. At the top was Logan Pass, where hikers met the glaciers still melting. It was stormy on top, but that didn't deter anyone.

We couldn't resist going through it again and got stiff necks from looking up at the many summits over 10,000 feet. Be sure to go yourself one day.

Colleen's Cycle Spin

Who doesn't love a motorcycle ride? Feel the wind in your face & son by your side. Life is free, easy and you can abide. As long as you don't hit something and slide!

Years ago I imagined going cross country on motorcycles with my son. My hair would be bleached blonde and we would be free as the breeze. But that cant happen because a mother worries when her son has a motorcycle, especially when he is a father. The statistics are pretty good for being safe. When you hear about one bad accident, it seems to be a scare factor.

I had to take a spin on Jory's candy apple red bike, because he's decided to sell it. I'm glad, but oh how great it feels to take a ride.

Roof At Rest

Well the roof is re-shingled without a glitch, Cant say it was much fun, with it's 12x12 pitch. Al and Aaron avoided landing in the ditch. Hoping to never do it again, we'll get Mitch.

Years ago Allan reroofed his Uncle Hen's roof to make extra money. It was a wood shake roof, which required him to remove the old shingles and put the new wooden slats on. It took forever and the $400 he made didn't come close to the time he spent.

When it was time to do our roof, we waited until it looked awful before tackling it. We could have hired someone, but it surely would have cost $15k+. Aaron, our son-in-law agreed to help. He used to do roofing. Together they were able to do the job. Aaron got a harness to finish the steep east side that has a sheer drop of 20 feet. Now the roof is at rest for a few decades.

A Surprise in Sweden

The gang made it to Sweden with all their toys. They surprised Grandpa. He loved seeing the boys. With that many people, there's sure to be noise. But who cares when with loved ones they shout, "Ahoys!"

It was the eightieth birthday for Sven Stierstrom in Sundsvall, Sweden. Sarah, her brother, Jordan and their families along with mom, Ingela, made their way to his home and surprised him a few days before the big event.

Jordan has not been to Sweden for sixteen years. That is a long time to not see your grandparents. Mom, Ingela, was born there, but married an American. She has lived in the U.S. for almost thirty years. It is tough but she has gone back as often as possible.

What a blessing to be with Morfar (grandpa)!!