spring is a dream - mosaic monday

They say if you think enough about spring, it will come!!! . . . eventually!!!!! haha!

This is my contribution to MOSAIC MONDAY at MARY'S PLACE - come by, you'll love it!

fog.fog.fog.fog.fog.fog.fog.fog.fog.fog.fog.fog.fog

I loved the sparkles in the snow and the fog up against the 'bench' of the hill as it was leaving for the morning and you can see the water wheel high up on the 'bench' obscured by the fog.





Journal Notes:
What a beautiful start to a morning when fog left evidence of it's being there by covering all the trees, bushes, fences, animals, cars with hoar-frost. Such a weird name to such a beautiful 'touch' of nature. I was heading to the club to workout and got side-tracked several times to take pictures.

After a few injuries, lots of excuses and several pounds of body fat, I'm back in the gym! Okay, my advice: don't EVER stop because the RESTART is wayyyyy tooooooo ugly!!! But, I'm happy to be back - feeling all the aches and pains the next morning. Nope, it's not a New Year's resolution just a wake-up call that with every passing day I'm getting o.l.d.e.r. - so if I want to stick around and see lots of grand babies arrive, I'd better get on the stick!!! Oh, BTW, I have #14 grand baby arriving approximately the last week of August!

Whit cut and colored my hair today (those grays are moving in hot and heavy). We went for a shorter/new style - she's amazing with those scissors! We're tweaking it here and there - but it's a nice change! I'm having to work around the fact that nothing on my body has been the same since 'mother nature' waved her magic-ugly-wand over me - hair, eyebrows, lips, skin all changed since that fateful day - (women will understand what I'm saying here!) - what I'm trying to say: I'd LOVE to have all my hormones back. But, I guess that's what the cosmetic industry is here for - recreate!

Bob and I went and saw "2012" last night - pretty crazy. I actually didn't witness Bob fall asleep once during the show (totally NOT him) - there was no time for that - that movie is C.R.A.Z.Y. it doesn't give you much time to breath - I was gripping his hand so tight at times I think I left a few nail prints behind - good thing he's tough. Our dates are usually short but sweet.

escapeseeker comes calling

About the photo: I've been craving color and just had to create a collage that made me happy - SO, if Mother Nature doesn't cooperate (in the middle of winter!!!!!) . . . create your own - kind of makes you feel powerful in a sick, twisted way - haha!


I'm needing some COLOR in my life - our days are gray, snowy and cold and it makes me crave yellows, green and brown!!! Never thought I would crave brown - how funny. Looking at some of my old photos helped to lift my chilly spirit!!!!

Journal Notes:
Last week was anything but boring around here. Let me explain:

I was basically minding my own business the other day (which I do quite well, mind you) when I got an email that sent me into a state of shock - literally! From time to time I get an email from this person so, of course, I didn't panic when I saw her name in my mailbox - just thought, "Wonder 'where in the world' she is and what is she up to!" But when I read 'said email' I went numb - really!

Mel is a television producer for PBS and is currently producing a show called ESCAPESEEKER - a travel series that explores distant lands around the world and delves into unexplored areas. Griffin (my son) wrote the music for the trailer for her show - he did an awesome job (view below). Anyway, she mentioned in her email that she had been viewing my blog for sometime and was taking note of my photos and wondered if I would like to accompany her to ******JAPAN****** this Thursday as her photographer!!!!!!! This is where I fell on the floor (dumb-struck) and foamy-froth proceeded to come out of my mouth (are you getting the visual here?). To put it mildly, I was in a fog for the rest of the day - I would call that shock and awe! Not long after the email showed up, she called!

Long story-short the only hang up was . . . . . . . . . you guessed it . . . . . . . .NO PASSPORT!!!!! After much investigation on my part - I concluded there was physically not enough time (only 4-5 days) to process the application - and folks, that's just not enough time to get it done. SO, Thursday a jet will take off from Salt Lake International airport and I won't be on it! Oh woooooooooah is me!

The UP-SIDE to this story - I'm still going to apply for my passport and Mel will be calling again (sometime, soon) for other really boring distant lands such as England, Paris, Africa and more! Now, can you believe that?

PLEASE TURN OFF MUSIC AT THE BOTTOM OF BLOG BEFORE VIEWING THIS CLIP!

olives - mosaic monday

This is my contribution to "Monday Mosaic". Head on over to Mary's place and see what the others are showing for their "Mosaic Monday"! It's a lot of fun & FREE - you can join in too, if you want.


Journal notes - coming, well - soon!

tatadada . . . cam's digs . . . finally

Wellll, nothing like a "week later" . . . but here they are - photos of Cam's place.
(click photo for a closer look)

haba helps us move - utah-style

Ok! I'll have to admit it! This is a little "Haba-overkill" - won't happen again but, I just couldn't help myself. I know, many of you have been waiting to see Cam's new home - that's coming soon. (For a closer look, click individual pictures.)

moving day - phase 1

(click individual photos for a closer look)

















Check back TOMORROW for MORE adventures.

HABA travels - oh! we might go too ! ! !

On our way to help Cameron move . . . again! The dogs will have great petsitters this trip as Schuy and Whit will be here to open (and close) the door 20,000,000 times per day . . . at least! Cam finally closed on a house he's been trying to get just around the corner from where he lives now. He and Leah have been renting for over a year - now they know they love it there (grade school, junior high and high school a block apart from each other / church two blocks away) and will stay until Leah graduates from high school! The house was built in the 60's and is a few blocks away from where President Hinckley raised his family - that's cool. The home was bank-owned so he got it for a 'song'! (lalala)

The home is huge with a wooded backyard and Leah's friend two houses away - she'll love it. Grandma is coming with us to help pack things away and clean - when we have more family, the job gets done fast! It'll be fun! So, that's (2) family members moved in less than a month - think we ought to go into business . . . nahhhh, forget it!

nestle crunch hotline

Call the Nestle Crunch Hotline at 1-800-295-0051, When you are asked if you want to continue in English or Spanish, just wait quietly for about 10 seconds and you will smile. Promise! Keep going and press 4. Listen to the options...then press 7. If you comment on this after listening, don't give away the surprise!

(As seen on facebook!)

Also, "HAPPY ANNIVERSARY" to Tyler and Nicole - and "CONGRATULATIONS" to Nicole for hanging on SO LONG ! ! ! . . . four 'short' years and ETERNITY to go ! ! ! ! haha!

adventures of HABA

This is HABA! HABA is new to our blog - come back often to see the "Many Adventures of HABA!" See you soon.

Journal Notes:
Coming soon - out there living it!

The following thought was sent to me by Heather:
"A strong woman has faith that she is strong enough for the journey,
but a woman of strength has faith that it is in the journey that she
will become strong."

yep, i'm polish - mosaic monday

I noticed "Mary" had the neatest collection of pillows on her blog this week and wondered what I could share! Geeese, I have a great collection of dirty dishes, collection of sox with NO mates, collection of dirty/stinky dogs - what COULD I share? Hey wait! There IS something I could share with you . . .

I am of Polish decent and IF, for some reason, you don't believe me - take a gander at my nose! Dead give-away! These are a few pieces in my collection of Polish Pottery - which I adore. Every pattern you see is hand stamped with small sponges cut into designs - you have to have a steady hand to get the pattern to come out exact! They are so practical, a bit spendy - but so worth it. I have a gorgeous bowl that I didn't have time to photograph - but will try and slip it in later! (Opps, shown below!) My kids helped me collect a few pieces and the rest I've been buying over the past few years. Yes, we have no food to serve on them because it takes all our money to purchase them - but hey . . . they're nice to look at, right?!!!!!



This is my contribution to "Monday Mosaic". Head on over to Mary's place and see what the others are showing for their "Mosaic Monday"! It's a lot of fun & FREE - you can join in too, if you want.

spiced nuts - recipe

This recipe is 'to die' for! Have you ever walked in the mall around Christmas and smelled the almonds roasting? Well, this recipe is it - OR pretty darn close to what the mall sells - crunchy-delicious!

l lb. mixed nuts (1 can)

1/2 lb. peanuts (1/2 can)

1 tsp water

1 egg white

1 tsp Pumpkin spice

3/4 cups sugar

Slightly beat egg white with water.

Add nuts and toss to coat.

Combine sugar and pumpkin spice

in a bowl. Mix, then add to nuts.

Bake 300 degrees

20-25 minutes - stir

Cool on wax paper. Store in air tight container.

henry's day

One week ago today we traveled 3.50 hours down south to visit Henry and his family. Henry was getting blessed by his father - a baby blessing! There was a lot of family there to support our little Henry. We stayed the night with Cameron and Leah then, Sunday morning, we headed to Cort and Ash's. We got there a little early so we had a good seat for the meeting - front and center. The meeting was amazing - the spirit was strong and it was amazing and wonderful. Representing our family were Bob and I, Great-grandma Alice, Cameron and Leah and Morgan. We left our area in terrible weather and road conditions and arrived in Utah - it felt like Spring - no snow on roads and little in yards.

Both sides of the family met after the meeting for a wonderful luncheon at Ashley's sister's home where we ate salads, sandwiches and cookies! Henry's little cousin, Fiona, was blessed the same day as Henry - they were born a day apart! How does that happen?

we thank you SO much . . .

for our amazing Christmas presents -

This gift was given to us by Schuy, Whit and Bodin. I was totally surprised by this gift as I wrote about it in this blog. I saw the book in a bookstore in Sun Valley and fell in love with it! It's called "WISDOM" and it's a very thick and a big book crammed with WISDOM from people over 65 years old - from all over the world.
#1 The book is mostly monochromatic - but occasionally there is an amazing splash of color
#2 Andrew Wyeth - an American artist - one of the world's most collectible, living artists
#3 Clint Eastwood - an American actor / Whit also gave me a chic (red, cause I'm hot!) wallet and makeup bag - Love!
#4 Jane Goodall - English - noted for her work with chimpanzee society
#5 Title page of the 12" x 12" book.
If you get to Barnes and Noble, seek this book out and take a look - I think you'd find it interesting.



#6 Ty and Nic sent an awesome BOX of goodies: big container of chocolate/caramel pretzels and a huge selection of chocolate/carmel goodies - it was so big and delicious and well, I'll be running on the treadmill for the rest of my life! Only our family can guess who probably picked this gift out!!!!!!! (This is a huge family joke!) Thank you guys - such a wonderful, festive gift for Christmas and all the way from Reno! I have to confess that I shared much of it with everyone and still had a ton left.

#7 Brian and Heather gave us an amazing potpourri of gifts. What you see pictured is a 'treasure' (for me) as it has everyone's (in the family) birthdays and anniversaries laminated - the dates and names have been removed to protect the innocent!!!! Then, Heather made the most amazing CD with tons of pictures on it set to music - one of those things that make you cry and cry just watching it! It's priceless and I'm sure took her tons of time to make! I'll treasure it forever. THEN, she made some sugar coated almonds (the kind you pay a fortune for in the mall) with the recipe included.

#8 Ahhhhh, Polish Pottery! What more can I say? I love this stuff - I shouldn't call it stuff as it's super-expensive! I'm gradually collecting them. I've never seen a platter with handles so, that was a super-sweet surprise. I love, love, love the pattern - so happy! My family doesn't realize how much I use it and how versatile it really is. As long as you don't drop it - it'll last a life-time. Since I'm of Polish decent, it has special meaning to me. Thanks so much, you guys, for choosing such a personal gift.

#9 Okay, if you come to visit, don't think about borrowing this blue, cuddly blanket! It's huge - covers a queen-sized + bed with ease. We already have a feather comforter on our bed but with our -24 (and colder) degree weather, it just doesn't cut it - but with this 'blue-baby' it's perfect. Leah and Cameron were so kind when they gave us this 'lovely'! Thanks, you two!

#10 This book is a treasure, for sure! Shawn and Kandee gave us this keepsake of their family with tons of gorgeous photos of their family. Kandee's sister is a pro photographer and took loads of family pics this fall and included them all in this beautiful book. I'll treasure it forever - okay, that's a long time - till I die! Thanks for the great gift of family, you guys!

#11 Grif and Katrina sent this gift full of food, food, food - breakfast food, to be exact! It literally fed our family on Christmas morning and beyond!!! In fact, we're still eating some of the English muffins. These yummy goodies came in a huge tower of boxes tied by a bow. How fun it was to open each box and peek inside and hear "Yummmm!" Cinnamon rolls and jam were gone Christmas morning, cakes gone by New Years and English muffins (there were tons) totally gone yesterday!!! Seriously, it was a years-supply of food - sooooo delicious.

Thanks EVERYONE for making our Christmas so special with your THOUGHTFUL gifts. You know, there's some wisdom in having (7) kids - haha!!!!!!

five dogs, two cats and five humans

That's WHO/WHAT is living in our home right now and it's -21 degrees (F) windchill outside - but, we're coexisting quite well!

Whitney went to the store today and brought home this interesting and most delicious POMELO fruit! I had never seen/eaten one before - but, for that matter, neither had they! It's the size of a cantaloupe (you can't tell by this picture) and tastes a little like grapefruit but not as acidic. I don't like grapefruit but, I love this! So refreshing when it's SO cold outside.

So much has happened around here lately - I'm going to have to get caught up - it's just been so crazy around here I haven't really had time to sit down and gather my thoughts about anything! All I could think all the month of December was, "Just get through THIS day!" Then the next day would come and I would 'self-talk' all over again. We got through it!!!!! It was wild, it was crazy.

• We had a GREAT Christmas celebration together. We were missing two families this year - it amazes me how EMPTY it feels when they're not here
• After New Years, we moved Schuyler and Whitney out of their home - job market just not good in their area. They'll be going to school in about three months so it will help them save some mula for their move
• We got everyone situated in our basement and 99% of their belongings are in Heather and Brian's storage unit. So many came to help them - it was an interesting experience trying to move in a snow storm and temps in the single digits - but, we did it
• New Years Eve was spent at Shawn and Kandee's health club - games, racquetball, food, food, food
• We traveled to Utah for Henry's baby blessing - SO GOOD to see our cute family there
• Guitar lessons resumed after a MONTH off - holy cow, that was a nice rest
• I hope to get pictures loaded and caught up soon
• THANKS for being so wonderfully patient with me as I get my life put back together and organized a little better. I've GOT TO WRITE before I start forgetting things from this past month.