4th of July Celebration - 2017

4th of July

Celebration!!!

We have done so much this summer...

So, I am going to start with our 4th of July

celebration...and work backwards...

till I can get all the events covered...

smile

We went to Menan...(Idaho) for our 3rd year...

celebration...to watch the "fireworks"...

 Attended: Luke/Sarah and family; Jared/Angel and family;

Hyrum/Jessica and Alexander; John, Ramona, John Henry;

Jacob/Emily Jeppson and family; Joel Greenway; Garvin and I

FACE PAINTING TIME!

 Jessica had her "face painting" kit with her...

Most of the children...had their faces

painted up...smile

 Jackson

 Claira

 Alayna

 Nathan

(had his face painted before Jessica

got there)

Ivy loved her butterfly...

and Daisy loved hers...

smile

BEHOLD OUR LITTLE ONES

 Ramona loving being "Grandma" Ramona...

Alexander is now on the go...

crawling...wherever he pleases...

smile

 Ethen is simply...a delight!

Such an easy-going little personality! 

 Ethen gives Angel...such JOY!

 This little bundle..."Thea"

loves being "entertained" and held...

You can see how DELIGHTED she gets

when she has anyone's attention!

smile

BEST BUDDIES!

 Daisy and Jackson

are best buds...Jackson keeps

telling Daisy he is going to marry

her...Right now, we haven't busted 

his bubble...about marrying

1st counsins...(smile)

MISCELLANEOUS PICTURES

 Joel and Hyrum...were vying for Alexander...

Guess who won?

smile

 Our beautiful Savannah...

Ah...the boys playing...

Joel, Hyrum, and Jared...

WAITING FOR THE SUN

to GO DOWN!

AWESOME FIREWORKS!

Right over our heads...

well...seemed like it!

smile 

2nd Trek this Year - 2017

21 June through 24 June 2017

A few pictures from our 2nd Trek we cooked for...this summer...

Hyrum's Bishop was put in charge of their Stake's 

Trek this year.  Hyrum told him...that he knew how this could 

be managed...Bottom-line...we ended up with the

opportunity to serve them...smile

Joel flew in from Florida...bringing his EXPERIENCE...which

we so needed - since we ended up cooking for

360 - 380 people...

Here are a few pictures I took...

Our sad tale of woe...began at Sam's...

Garvin checked on his order "2" times...to make sure

Sam's knew what we needed...(days before)

When we arrived...expecting to pack up and leave within

the 1/2 hour it normally takes...yeah...

the order was really MESSED UP!

2 1/2 hours later...we loaded up the rented 

refrigerated truck...(large one, huh...super nice)

We had many things missing from our order...including over

800 pieces of BACON! (but, whose counting, right?)

smile 

Consequently, we arrived LATE...and had to rush to set up everything

BEFORE DARK...We decided to go up and set up 

camp...Wednesday...The YOUTH and the Ma(s) and Pa(s)...

were arriving the NEXT day...

 Hyrum and Joel...and Garvin...

getting the Holy Griddle set up...

 Our homes for the next few days...

We were well prepared...well...at least

Garvin's and my tent were...

Had a heater, a solar battery, solar lanterns...

and a new flushing porta potty...(can't leave home

without it! smile)

 Hyrum asked me to "marinate" our steaks...

while we set up...After an hour...Hyrum asked

if I had gotten it done...I asked him to check to see

if I put in enough of his favorite "marinate"in 

zip lock bags...

He came back...laughing...

He said..."Mom"..."you forgot to remove the 

wrapping around the steaks"...so I was

simply marinating the "wrapping"...OPPS!

smile

 Had to set up all the tarps...

That takes some work!

Joel got our campfire going!

By the time we set up everything...it was DARK and LATE!

but, Joel and Hyrum cooked up our steaks...anyway...

(YES...I unwrapped all the wrappings around the steaks...

and marinated them...correctly....smile)

They were SO.......GOOD!

Had more for breakfast, too! smile

We always got up at the crack of dawn!

BEAUTIFUL...cold mornings!

smile

It was a SUCCESSFUL EVENT

in spite of some challenging

moments...

 Garvin stirring up the pot...(no comment)

(using a paint drill)

 Hyrum and Joel cooking up

the bacon...

 Pancakes...

 Chicken...fajitas...

 Eggs for breakfast...

Hyrum and Joel...

 Joel taking over Abraham's job...

smile

 Joel resting inbetween...cooking shifts...

 Bacon for the hamburgers...

 MORE BACON!

Joel with one of the volunteers...

I must say...we had GREAT people who were volunteers

from Hyrum's Ward!  NO WAY we could have done

this without all their HELPING HANDS!

Lots of LAUGHS!!!!!!!!

Granny's Garden - 2017

My 2017 gardens...are giving me so much JOY!

One day, I will put together...all my gardens over the years...

from Florida...to Montana...now in Idaho...

Don't think I got too many pictures of my Utah gardens

or my Washington gardens (if any)...but, I do 

remember them...

Will begin with FRONT DECK...

 Tried to get most of the view...but, hard to see

the entire deck...

 A little closer picture of one side...

Having lived in California and Florida for over

40 years of my life...

my heart and hands...want to be in the dirt

by JANUARY!!!!! But, here in Idaho...

we are lucky to begin at the END OF MAY...or

first part of JUNE...but, many of these plants...

I planted or came back in APRIL!

Alas...they were SNOWED on 4 times...

and each time...I apologized to my plants...

(yes...I talk to them...always telling the how BEAUTIFUL

they are...smile) But, they SURVIVED!

 Garvin was given pieces of wood...to use in our

wood stove...and I said..."NO WAY!"

You can build BOXES for me!

Don't you LOVE THEM? 

smile

 If I can find a CUTE container...

you can bet...I will find use for it!

smile

 Many of these plants...have NOT BLOOMED

out, yet...but, sometime in the SUMMER...

it should be BEAUTIFUL!

 Once...a California girl...the HEART...

does not vary...A variety of different...

POPPIES...orange, yellow, pink...

different SHAPES...as well...

LOVE THEM!!!!!

Chamomile...reseed every year!

LOVE my HERBS!

 Different view...of the front deck...

I LOVE my "Baby Breath"!

Now, the DEVELOPMENT of the FRONT YARD...

This is a creation in the MAKING...

over the next few years...

who knows...what this will all look like...

Not a bad beginning...for only "3" years

worth of work on it...

Completely tore out the old...

and developing the NEW...

 Some of the flowers are still working

on themselves...so it is still 

developing for this year's season...

 I love my BLUE FLAX...had dug up some plants

growing wild...and since then...each year...

I get new plants...fitting inbetween

other wild poppies and such...

The long box along the picket fence...

has flower seeds in it...and probably

won't see its completion for another

month or so...

I have lots of plants growing on that

side of the hummingbird feeder...

but, they are working on developing as well...

Maybe, later in the summer

I can take pictures of then...

My bellflower was planted last

year...and it came back...

One of my Iceland poppies...along

side of it...

Now...for my FOOD GARDEN...

These boxes are like a SUN BURST!

Long...short...long...short...

Hard to capture it...

Lots of different vegetables are planted:

corn, potatoes, radishes, swiss chard...

carrots, squash, onions, shallots, garlic,

cilantro, beets, beans, and peas...

and a few pepper plants...

and many variety of mints, dill, and herbs...

I have more planted elsewhere...which 

I will show in a minute...

I have more boxes...which I didn't take pictures of

that has strawberries, herbs, and horseradish...

"Granny's BERRY Patch"

It took family and friends to finish this project

last year...I LOVE IT!

It is situated in our pasture...

NOT FINISHED, yet...

I am having Garvin build me boxes all 

around the OUTSIDE of the "cage" (as it

is often referred to) so I can plant

wild flowers...It will be

BEAUTIFUL! (next year...smile)

I wanted my plants protected

from the DEER - MOOSE...

RACOONS...and an occasional

cotton-tail RABBIT!

Oh...the top is all screened in...

so the BIRDS can't eat my

berries...smile

  

 Garvin cemented the inside...

so I don't have to deal with WEEDS...

GRASSES...etc.

18 boxes...filled with

raspberries...a couple blue berries...

and a "honey" berry...

Plus, 2 Elderberries...

 I got the idea...to have small boxes

all along the inside perimeter...

for more strawberries...my pepper plants...

and all my TOMATO PLANTS...

Last year...I had about 7 tomato plants...

One day...I went to get a tomato or two...

and EVERY SINGLE TOMATO was

GONE!!!!!! Have NO IDEA what happened to them...

This year...I am hoping...there will NOT

be a REPEAT performance...of that act!

smile