Gobble Gobble goo and Gobble Gobble giggle

As I sit here and type this Gary and Ellie are watching the Thanksgiving Day Parade. Ronald McDonald just floated by and Gary made sure to introduce him to Ellie as “Dirty Ron”, Gary’s favorite reference to McDonalds. Yesterday Ellen watched patiently as I baked some pies. I guess I’m not that skilled at multitasking because it was a trick to watch over the babe and get the pies done, by the end of the day I was a bit frazzled. Picture the classic women in the kitchen with flour everywhere her hair a mess and the baby crying. We persevered and the pies are turning out well so far. I have to bake them today so they are fresh for the taking. I went with the traditional flavors Pumpkin and Apple. I like to put a little twist on the pumpkin pie and make it with a gingersnap crust. I also like to use fresh ginger in the filling. I must admit I borrowed the gingersnap crust recipe from Letty, Debbie, and Steve at the Deer Valley Bakery. I do love to bake, and I spent three years in the bakery at Deer Valley. I don’t know maybe Steve can correct me, but I was feeling pretty confident in my baking skills by the end of my three year term. Yesterday humbled me a bit, though. I just can’t pull it off as well in my home as I did in the awesome professional DV Bakery. I think it’s a psychological thing and I am my worst critic. I did do some things right, stuff my brain absorbed at work and stuff I like to do at home, I’ll share them with you…

• Mise en place It’s French meaning “everything in its place”. This is key for pulling off any project. It’s all about prep in the bakery we would gather the ingredients we needed and prep things first like zest lemons, peel apples, cut butter, and so on. I also learned to mix all the dry ingredients together first.
• “Clean as you go is the sign of a pro” Letty always used this catch phrase and it’s true. Nobody likes to work with a messy baker. At home I try to always have the sink ready to wash so I can clean off my utensils and use them again instead of pulling out another bowl and another spoon and having a huge pile of dishes to deal with at the end of the day. Take a break and clean between each phase of the recipe make the dough then clean, make the filling then clean, put them together then clean. You can never clean too much. Oh how I long for a dish washer. Actually, it’s a little therapeutic to slow down and wash the dishes in the sink.
• I like to add a bit of whole wheat flour where I can. For instance the crust for the apple pie uses 2 1/2 cups of flour so I use 2 cups white and 1/2 cup of whole wheat. I think this adds some nutrition to the pie. Be careful when altering recipes though too much whole wheat flour can make the dough tough. I also like to use flax seed when appropriate that stuff has good omegas, and we can all use some omega in our diet.
• Go to the source. Use a real pumpkin, fresh ginger, fresh fruits etc. This sounds like more work but it doesn’t always have to be if you Mise en place and plan ahead. I roasted a pie pumpkin on Tuesday peeled it that night and whalla I have fresh pumpkin instead of pumpkin from the can.
• Finally, don’t forget to eat lunch. I made the mistake of working right through lunch yesterday hence the frazzle. It pays to sit down and make a well rounded lunch instead of snacking on the sugary treats you’re making. That way you keep your wits about you and you wont be spent by the end of the baking glory.

Hope you all have a Happy Thanksgiving.

Helen’s Greenhouse

Ellen and I met our aunt Laurel today for lunch. We went to a great Mexican Restaurant in Midway called Tarahumara. If you are ever on the other side of the Wasatch I highly recommend this place excellent south of the border fair.

After lunch I made an appointment with Chuck and Helen Warren. Two Heber locals who worked very hard as engineers in the career world to retire and enjoy their love of botany. Gary and I had met them over the summer at the Heber and Salt Lake Farmers Markets. They have three beautiful greenhouses. Helen led Laurel, me, and Ellie through each greenhouse pointing out all the fine details. Each one has a different climate according to the plants needs.

The first house was set up to keep most of her succulents and a few fruit trees with warmer temperatures during the day and cooler at night, as well as the most sunlight and humidity. We were thoroughly impressed with her Pineapple plants which have actual Pineapples fruiting from them. She also had some Lemon and Orange trees as well, amongst the greatest collection of Succulents my eyes have seen.

The second house was set up for houseplants it was cooler with a more consistent 24hr temperature and more shade. This house had an impressive Banana Leaf Tree and a misbehaving plant from the mint variety that wouldn’t grow so well in the pot but prospered once it dropped on the ground.

The third house was what Helen called the “Heritage House”. Named for a few heirloom plants she had from her mother. It had a whole wall full of Orchids one of my personal favorite plants as well as some Lilies, Amarilis, and an Aloe plant that was in bloom no less. I have never seen an Aloe in bloom. Needless to say we walked out of there extremely impressed and with a natural high from all the pure oxygen we had taken in.

Ahh Home

We took a quick trip up to Cache Valley this weekend to get a visit in with my parent before we all go on our merrily way for the holidays. My parents are being adventurous this year and going across the pond and then some to Germany to visit my sister and her family. Its a pretty big deal especially for my dad who doesn’t really do vacations. I think he is going to be pleasantly surprised though.

Its alway very therapeutic for me to go to my parents house. Although they have moved out of the neighborhood we grew up in there are so many reminders through out the house of my childhood and my roots. From the toys that were held onto for the grandkids, to Grandma McKenney’s old bed and quilt, and just the little smells and intricacies of being home. Mom and Dad are always the ultimate hosts making up a comfortable room to stay in, treating us to a dinner out, and fixing a big breakfast. I love watching them interact with Ellie you can see and feel the joy in their hearts when ever they are around their grandchildren. So, thank you Mom and Dad for taking care of us this weekend it was just what we needed.

3 is the Magic Number

“A man and a women had a little baby, and there were three in the family, that’s the magic number…”

(favorite song from School House Rocks)

So here we are, Ellen is three months old today! A few of our friends have said that after three months things get much easier. I must say though that we haven’t had it bad, we have been very lucky Ellie has been a dream baby. She is calm and mellow for the most part. In fact last night she was happy just to hang out and snuggle in my lap as I indulged in my favorite ridiculous TV show. Don’t get me wrong we have had our sleepless nights, ringing ears, and freak outs, but I must say Gary and I are amazed by her everyday. Yesterday she discovered the ball on the mirror toy in her crib and was smiling and laughing as she was working so hard to move it. I made her the little hat in the photo above, it’s a party hat to commemorate our three months together. I’m going to make some chocolate chip cookies later as well.

Little facts about three:

• number of times I had to unpick the hat before I got it right
• number of cookies I’m going to eat later
• number of times I have to ask Gary a question before it gets locked into my head (hopefully this is a temporary “new mom” side affect)
• number of times I have to reinsert the binky before Ellie falls asleep
• number of emergency trips to the g-store for diapers
• number of laundry loads I need to do today

For all the Mama’s Out There (and Papa’s too)

This is a somewhat lazy post because I’m actually referring you all to someone else’s blog post from yesterday. I found this wonderful blog one day when I was surfing around in what I like to call the Etsy vortex. I tend to loose myself and and get bedazzled by all the crafty items and inspirations on this site. Anyhow one fine day I came across this very talented mama: Amanda Soule (SouleMama). I’ve been a little too bashful to post any comments to her site but man I really admire her skills. So please check out her blog and read her post titled “Acorns are Fun“:

Sometimes, we do chose to spend a little bit extra to have the toys/tools we like best – those that come from natural materials, those that leave room for imagination, and those that are made in a way that fits our values – but that also means we buy less, evening the cost in the end. Buying less also means we have less – which I believe is always more when it comes to toys and imagination and the growth of our little ones.

She sums up the philosophy on toys that Gary and I would like to take with raising Ellie. Pretty much she nails it, exactly what Gary has been trying to express to everyone about toys for babes. I’m off to buy some acorns now…

Baby Beluga

A few years ago after I graduated from USU I had the opportunity to do some field work with my friend Liz for the USGS. We were collecting data from forest fires in Manitoba, Canada. Anyhow, one weekend we decided to treat ourselves to a weekend trip up to Churchill “The Polar Bear Capitol of the World”, so we bought train tickets and off we went. The train was great for the first few hours (it was slow due to frost heaves from the tundra). There was a little boy that was seated near us and he sang the children’s song “Baby Beluga” for what seemed like the entire trip. Needless to say my brain absorbed that song and it comes around and haunts me every now and then. The problem is I don’t entirely know the words and all I have in my head is what the kid kept singing over and over again, Baby Beluga, Baby Beluga, Baby Beluga you get the picture. So one day when I was holding Ellie those wonderful words got stuck in my head again. So I’m challenging my self to learn this cute little tune. Here are the lyrics so you can get it stuck in you head as well.

Baby Beluga in the deep blue sea,
Swim so wild and you swim so free.
Heaven above, and the sea below,
And a little white whale on the go.

Baby beluga, baby Beluga, is the water warm?
Is your mama home with you, so happy.

Way down yonder where the dolphins play,
Where they dive and splash all day,
The waves roll in and the waves roll out,
See the water squirting out of your spout.

Baby beluga, baby Beluga, sing your little song,
Sing for all your friends, we like to hear you.

When it’s dark, you’re home and fed,
Curl up snug in your water bed.
Moon is shining and the stars are out,
Good night, little whale, goodnight.

Baby beluga, baby Beluga, with tomorrow’s sun,
Another day’s begun, you’ll soon be waking.

Baby Beluga in the deep blue sea,
Swim so wild and you swim so free.
Heaven above and the sea below,
And a little white whale on the go.
You’re just a little white whale on the go.

The Story of Adah

When Adah the Kuvasz found me she was a lost dog. I was assisting with a field camp for the Utah State University Geology Department. We were in the Drum Mountains just west of Delta Utah. The Drum Mountains are great for geology, but a harsh landscape to live in. There isn’t much vegetation for shelter and pretty much supports only lizards. She came around our camp and had been harassing the students by barking at them as they hiked all over the area doing their field work. She stuck around all day and I caved in that evening and fed her some of my hamburger. She kept her distance and wouldn’t take it out of my hand, or come near me at all for that matter. When I went to sleep she followed me and stayed close all that night.

The next day I was set to go home, but this dog was still around camp. She was emaciated and filthy dirty, but she was so beautiful with that white coat it was hard not to be fascinated with her. As I got my things together she proceeded to harass the students and followed some of them up the hillside. Finally it was time to catch my ride home and I had to make the decision to take her or leave her. She had captured my heart so one of the professors helped me fashion a leash and I hiked up the hill to bring her home with me. It was a bit of a spectacle she had never been on a leash before you see so she didn’t know what to make of it and it scared her a bit so the whole way down the somewhat steep hillside she walked between my legs. Then we had the chore of getting her in the cab of an old Chevy pickup truck. Professor Pete helped me out and held her on his lap for the ride into Delta. She was shaking and shivering the whole way. Gary was meeting me in Delta to take me home. His first introduction to her she was freed from the truck and immediately peed and laid down at his feet. Gary was hesitant for only a few seconds until something in her eyes captured his heart as well and then he was convinced she was coming with us.

And the rest is history. Adah is now a part of our pack. She was immediately accepted by Chip. The first year we had her she challenged us by chewing up a few things such as my journals and photo albums, a pair of feather pillows, and our landlords bird feeder. She still challenges us with her feral ways. She is constantly on the prowl and has to be watched for those sneaky-break-aways where she decides to roam the neighborhood. She definitely raises Gary’s blood pressure at times. She has provided us with some good stories and adventures like that one time she was dunked in the Green River by a Moose. My favorite as of late is seeing her take on the role of Momma number two with Ellie. She let us know one day when I was vacuuming that Ellie was awake and crying. It may just be coincidence but my parents said the very hour that Ellie was born Adah jumped up and started to bark and carry on and Chip joined in. I like to think that they knew what was going on and they were celebrating her arrival and welcoming her into the pack.

The Story of Chip

This story has been told over and over to our family and friends but we like to tell it because we are so proud of the wonderful dog Chip has become and so it goes…

Chip was discovered in Gunnison, Colorado. Apparently he was locked in a barn for two weeks, while the old ranch hand was on a drinking binge. Chip was one of two puppies that survived out of a pack of five. A friend of Gary’s picked him up from a vet he knew in town. He was about to be euthanize because he was in such a dreadful state they thought nobody would adopt him. Cree didn’t want to see that happen so he scooped him up and brought him to Utah. Cree couldn’t keep Chip so Gary decided to take him on.

He said that Chip was a mess his hair was falling out because of mange and he was the saddest dog he had ever met, he could see that Chip was in a terrible state. Chip spent the first four days in Gary’s basement too miserable to make an effort to live. Gary was concerned at the time not knowing if he would act out and bite him or just end up dying on him. Finally on a sunny spring day Gary scooped him up and took him out into the back yard and brushed him out. That’s all it took, from that day on Chip and Gary have been inseparable.

He was an extremely skittish dog for a while, if there was company at Gary’s he would hide out in his room and come out to check on him every few minutes. He would run from peoples attempts to try to pet him. Friends warned Gary that Chip was going to be a difficult dog, but as Chip has aged he has become a beautiful and loyal alpha. He definitely has his quarks such as extreme separation anxiety, a sensitive digestive system, and a funny fear of vacuums. After nine years he has had to adjust to many things along the way such as me becoming apart of his and Gary’s little world, a few moves, and our latest addition to the pack Ellie. Considering what he had to endure in the first years of his life I’d say he is just shy of a miracle. Well done Chip.