Tuesday, November 29, 2016

Another Thanksgiving in the OC



We left bright and early, as in 4:50 a.m. bright and early, the day before Thanksgiving. It was our first road trip in the Pilot, and even minus Will, it was a little crammed. Mini vans are definitely better designed for family travel.

We stopped for gas in Fillmore, but there was nothing picture worthy there. It was just cold.

We stopped again in Vegas and Olivia spotted a unicorn statue, which was picture worthy for sure, even though the people at the casino looked at us like we were crazy.

Then we stopped in Barstow.

This was the sign on the way into the food court.  Any normal person would look at that sign and think, oh, it says ENTRANCE, but it's missing the N, right?

I looked at it and thought, "Entra Ce..... that must be Spanish for "enter here".


Audrey managed to write a novel on the way.  That is her lap top and she was writing as we moved along. Where does that girl come from anyway?

 We pulled into to Costa Mesa around 6, checked in at the hotel and spent some time hanging out at Alisa and Erwann/s and getting ready for the next day.

Thanksgiving Days we have found, are best spent at the beach.

And this is my kind of Thanksgiving turkey.











Corn dogs, frozen bananas and cotton candy for Thanksgiving. Yum.




Eventually though, we had to conform to tradition and head on in to cook. Fortunately, the November sun sets early in California. Otherwise, we may not have been able to tear ourselves away.

Audrey got some practice in the art of coffee bean grinding.




Duncan got in some practice taking over Alisa's bed.

And Dan was apparently not a happy turkey carver.

Birds of paradise blooming in November. I love Southern California.


These lovely ladies are some of Alisa's students that she invited over. Two from China and two from Japan. They were so nice and such good sports about sharing this weird American holiday with our weird American family.


After they left, we realized we didn't get a group shot, so  we hurried and took a picture of who was remaining and between the two, you get the full picture. It was also Alexis' first Thanksgiving.



Friday was another 80 degree day, so we spent time at the pool and the beach, this time Laguna. I fogot what a perfect beach Laguna is.  We stayed til after sunset and got some great shots of the sun slipping below the ocean.













Alisa' lemon tree has lemons on it!


We also stopped by this little Marine mammal rescue center. They rescue baby sea lions and seals and rehab them when they get sick. Then they return most of them to the ocean. The ones that they can't release back they find homes at zoos for.



That is the jaw bone of a whale. Crazy big.














Saturday it rained. We went to the mall, had lunch and got rained out. Went back to Alisa's for hot chcolate then decided to go see Fantastic Beasts. Just as we were stepping out of the covered parking to go into the theater, it started to POUR rain. It felt like we were standing under a water fall. By the time we got to the theater, we were completely soaked through. I spent the entire movie trying to dry my socks out. It was memorable to say the least. 



Then we all froze the rest of the night.

Before we knew it, we were back home in the cold and snow of Utah, and back to regular life.

Now I am freaking out about getting somethimg mailed off to Will for Christmas. I should have started weeks ago.

It's hard to believe he has been gone five weeks already. It is flying by and dragging at the same time.
Next Tuesday, he gets thrown out in the mission field and the real fun will start.





Sunday, November 6, 2016

Halloween 2016

 This is what happens when kids grow up and don't need Halloween costumes anymore. You start dressing up your dog. We couldn't resist outfitting her in a poncho and sombrero in honor of Elder Metcalf.  And we are already planning next year's costume.  And yes, that is a dog standing on my kitchen counter. Never in the history of me would I believe that I would ever allow a dog on my kitchen counters. It was the only place I could get a good picture of her. And lets be real, she has most likely been up there before when no one was watching.

Fortunately, I do still have one kinda little munchkin who still believes in trick or treating. She was a fortune teller this year, and it took quite a bit of doing to get a good picture of her amazing costume. Sometimes we just get weird light out here in the land of big sky.



She went trick or treating with her pals Josie and Lili again. They were out much longer than usual this year. Normally, they are done after about an hour, but this year they roamed the streets for most of the night. As it should be on beautiful Halloween. We got fewer than normal trick or treaters this year, which suprised me with how nice the weather was.



Even Piper got in on the trick or treat action.


This year we moved our fire pit in the front yard and sat outside with the candy. It kept Piper from barking her head off all night and made for some nice visits with the neighbors. Maybe next year we will have a Halloweeny roast.

Saturday, November 5, 2016

Best Soup I Ever Ate

Loaded Baked Potato Soup-from I Heart Naptime

4 to 5 baked  potatoes, peeled and cut into chunks
8 bacon slices, cooked and crumbled - reserve 1 Tbsp. bacon fat
4 Tbsp. butter
1 clove garlic
1/4 cup yellow onion, diced
1/3 cup all purpose flour
2 cups milk
1 cup half and half
2 cups chicken stock  ( I used one can of broth)
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
2 cups cheddar cheese, or a combo of whatever cheese you like
1 cup sour cream
green onions for garnish

Melt butter and bacon fat, add onion and minced garlic and cook til onion is soft, 3 or so minutes. Whisk in flour and stir for 1 to 2 minutes. Slowly whisk in milk, and half and half, whisking til smooth. Add chicken stock. Bring to a light simmer, stirring enough to keep it from burning on the bottom. Stir in salt and pepper and lightly simmer for 5 to 7 minutes, til it has thickened slightly.

Stir in cheese and bacon, reserving some of each for garnish if desired. Add sour cream and potatoes. You can mash up the potato chunks to your preference. Heat through and garnish with cheese, bacon and sour cream as desired.




Friday, November 4, 2016

Oh But Wait, We're Out of Milk

I'm feeling pretty good about my mom skillz today.

Alisa took her big final exam for her masters degree today.  Yesterday she got a package FROM ME to help her celebrate and relax after her test.

Got an e-mail from Will today. He is still alive, has a clean shirt on, and is eating.  AND, he got a package FROM ME on Halloween, full of Halloween treats.

Audrey is going to the Sadie's dance tomorrow. They are making tacos for dinner at her friend's house. Her assigned food contribution is prepared BY ME and waiting in the freezer.

Olivia has a field trip coming up on November 16. Her permission slip has been signed BY ME and turned into the teacher.

For the next few moments at least, I feel so prepared and in control.  This is a very odd feeling for me.