happenings in the cabin milieu...

Don't feel bad...I had to look it up...
mi-lieu (mel-yoè) n. Environment; surroundings.

We found a great swimming hole on the Verde River...

Kevin was the first one in...the water was pretty cold so it took the rest of us a while to get used to the 'refreshing' temperature...

...where in the world are Ethan & Dayla...


Hi - ho - Dayla...

the sunning rock...

Dora's turn...

we found a crawdad in the river...

Dayla's the brave one...

Other more relaxing activities:

"...under the boardwalk..."

...mind games...

...dart throwing...oops!

and the height of competition: horseshoes...

...ladies first...

...taking good aim is important...

...it's all in the form...

...the tally...

...looks like this was a close game...

I guess we'll head back to the valley for the final leg of our 'vacation'...

Summer fun updated...

I haven't posted for a while because we have been having

just too much fun...
.....................

*Dayla came for a visit about 10 days ago and
except for an occasional marathon of
"So You Think You Can Dance" and "Glee" episodes
we have been running pretty constantly...
..................
*My mom and sisters, Marci & Shelly, came for

Ben & Breann's wedding events

...and since the wedding wasn't until 5 pm on Saturday

we had a good time soaking up some sun by the pool...

...unfortunately I didn't get any pix poolside
but maybe that's a good thing....
......................

*Breann & Ben...
the beautiful bride & dashing groom

with the groom's family...(oooh, too dark...)

...this is better...

We all had a good time at the reception...

some more than others...

and alot of fun sending them off with sparklers...

......................

*The next day some of us were able to take a little 'jaunt' up to the cabin for a little R&R...

Look for details in a later post...

Happy Birthday, Kevo!

...a sweet, chubby face...

...grows into a strong, handsome man...

...and then a charming, adoring husband...
...and now a patient, loving father...

It's hard to think of one word when describing someone that you love, but we were bantering around nicknames the other day and one that we think describes Kevin is 'the strong one'...

Here's why:

* he can lift & carry his own side of the fridge or piano

* he beats everyone in arm wrestling

* he carries couches & other furniture by himself

*if he hits you with a racquetball you want to die

*he builds & re-builds treehouses

* he hardly ever gets sick

*he demolishes ceilings in a single hour

*he wins every argument he engages in

*he can eat a whole batch of brownies by himself

and last but not least...

*he is there like a rock whenever we need him...

Kevin...we love you & hope you
have a happy 32nd birthday!

Slab Pie...lookin' good!

I was going to wait until I tried recipes out that I have found before I shared them but this looks so delish and who knows when I will actually get around to making it...

Whole Wheat Vanilla-Bean Pie Crust

2 c. whole wheat flour.......... 1/2 tsp. nutmeg

2 c. white flour ......................zest of 1 lemon

3 sticks butter, chilled .........Juice of 1/2 lemon

2 T. sugar ..............................1 egg

1/2 tsp. salt ...........................1/2 c. ice cold water

Seeds of 1 vanilla bean

In a large bowl, stir the flours, sugar, salt, vanilla bean, and nutmeg and lemon zest together.

Use a fork to blend the butter into the flour mixture, creating a mixture that resembles coarse crumbs.

In a small bowl, combine lemon juice, egg, and water.

Pour liquids slowly into flour mixture, stirring gently with a fork until the mixture begins to follow it around the bowl.

Turn dough out onto a non-stick or silpat mat and knead several times. Roll out thin and press into a cookie sheet or refrigerate until needed.*

Nectarine Blackberry Slab Pie

1 batch of Whole Wheat Vanilla-Bean Pie Crust, prepared

12 oz. cream cheese........ 4 nectarines (pitted & sliced thin)

2 eggs ................................2-3 pints blackberries

3 T. sugar .........................1/2 c. peach jam

Juice of 1/2 lemon ...........1/2 c. honey

Press the prepared pie crust into the bottom of a large greased cookie sheet.

Tightly cover any unused portion of the pie crust dough and store in the fridge up to a week.

In a large bowl, beat together cream cheese, egg,

sugar and lemon juice.

Spread the cream cheese mixture over the pie crust.

Generously spread sliced nectarines and blackberries over

the cream cheese mixture.

In a small, microwave-safe bowl, heat the peach jam and honey together until warm.

Drizzle generously over the top of the pie. Bake in an oven preheated to 400 degrees

for 24-27 minutes.

Serve warm with a heap of vanilla ice cream or allow to cool and serve topped with a dollop of whipping cream.

Does this look yummy or what...?

What's wrong with this picture?

What you can see is...lots of trimming...cutting...
and digging...

...what you cannot see is...(Hub and) weather that is ...hmmm...hotter than heck...
Where was I when the beautiful spring temperatures hit the valley...
...say in March - April - or even the first part of May...
I was inside the house...(it was too cold outside...hee)...you guessed it...painting or more than likely...blogging...

But no...we had to wait until the thermometer read 110 degrees before heading out to the backyard to continue the 'grand renovation' in landscaping...
...well to be honest...we didn't exactly wait...(note the 'lawn removal' where there will eventually be a beautiful deck)...we have also extracted at least 3 other rather large over-grown bushes/trees...
...did I say Hub is the 'master extractor'? - well he is...so we are making progress...

oh well...someday... (hopefully in this lifetime)...
...it will all be worth it...

'magic fingers' Angi...

After a year of continuous searching, applying, and squeaking

(‘the squeaky wheel gets the grease’)

C#5 has found a ‘real’ job in her field…

...massage therapy…

…'daughter #2' (C#5) graduated from EVIT with her degree a year ago - May 2009...

...this past year she has been gaining further education taking business courses at

Chandler-Gilbert Community College (CGCC)

...one of her papers included an essay entitled,

"Angie's Phalanges"...
(a clever name for a business, don't ya think?)

She finally relinquished her position at Rosati's and worked for a couple of months with Harkin's Theatres again before landing her job @ Massage Envy...

...since she owns her own 'table' she has been able to use her license & experience to give massages 'on the side' - mostly to family & friends...

(pic in action when available)

Congratulations Ang...we're proud of you...!!!

Rusty & Ethan's turn...

May is 'big party month' for us...

...birthdays - mother's day - end of school - etc...

...but we're finally winding down...

May 21 (last Friday) was the 'shared' birthday for

(Uncle) Rusty (C#4) & Ethan...(GC#1)

...born 20 years apart...

Ethan turned '7' so that makes Rusty...hmmm...'27'??

We couldn't get these two together to celebrate...

...this was taken in November 2003...

('7 ish' years ago)

so we partied separately...

..............................................................

Ethan is an awesome kid...

...he is so-o-o smart and fun to be around...

...he loves life and is living it to the fullest all the time...

...he wants to be an 'animal scientist' when he grows up and for now,

lo-o-oves any animal that lives in the ocean...particularly 'squids'...

...he is a great reader & actually likes math...

...we had a pre-party & then hit Ethan's fave: Fuddrucker's!

first...there were presents...

of course...it had to be a squid...

(...he looked appropriately thrilled...)

...then there was swimming...

...and more swimming...

"Come on in...the water is fine..."

Time for Fuddrucker's!!!

Tomorrow 'Squidward' will have a party with his friends...

...................................................................

Rusty is a manager for Wireless Advocates in the Costco on Sossamon & Frwy 60...

...he loves music and is a great musician...writing music for his band, 'Husch' where he is also the lead singer & manager...he plays his guitar and keyboard occasionally when they perform...

I think he enjoys being a homeowner since he bought his first home in May 2009 (a year ago)

We celebrated by going out to eat (as usual)...

"The Outback" provided the 'good food'...

and "We" provided the 'good company'...

'Best Buy' is a musician's dream...eh...Rugs??

I'm sure Rusty will party-hearty with his friends later...

Happy Birthday...Ethan and Rusty!!!

And so it begins...

(...edited version and aren't you glad...!?!)

There comes a time when worrying about your health and small maladies seem to take precedence over many other things in life...


Recently, Hub (for those of you who haven't picked up on my current nickname for Dave...this is it) discovered a small non-healing sore on his left temple that looked suspicious and so off to the dermatologist we went...

...he had a biopsy and the tissue was diagnosed as a (#1)

We were grateful that it wasn't more serious so we decided to take care of it asap...

The date was set and when the time came, we headed off to get the job done...we had been advised that it would be a 4-6 hour procedure so we came prepared...books - computer - snacks - etc.

When we arrived, I quickly found the 'best spot' in the waiting room......right between the food and the water & magazines...-there was even a plug for my computer-

...like I said...'Little Debbie's' are the best... (oh...didn't I say that?...I meant to...)

Hub likes 'em too...

...now that we're primed...it's our turn to get zapped!

Dr. Shiell marks the spot with an "O"...

(Dr. Shiell is the topmost MOES surgeon

in the US...so 'they' say...)

and Tracy preps with lidocaine...


and the Doc draws 'first blood'...with the first layer...

(didn't I mention that they remove the tissue
in layers...? I meant to...)


then the cauterizing... (love that smell...yuck!)

Dr. Shiell explains the 'layer thing'...

(actually the discussion was more about the Lakers vs the Suns...

- the Doc's from California)

and Tracy applies a bandage...

...the tissue must be tested

so back to the waiting room we go...

...we wait together...going in and out...one by one...

...bonded together by sharing this experience...

...vibrant old people...exhausted youth...

...we are the same...

and this time there is pizza...yum!

...Hub likes the pizza too...

well... the results are back and still positive so...

...time for another round of lidocaine...

...and another layer of tissue to be removed...

and more cauterizing...

and...more waiting...

....finally........ the lab results are good...

...so after more lidocaine... (...kinda looks like botox...huh?

Mmm...where did those crow's feet go...??)

...the opening needed reshaping in order to stitch...

(...it sorta looks like a 3rd eye...or Hub prefers a football...)

and the stitching begins...

Voilà...11 stitches in all & he didn't feel a thing...

We're glad this little 'escapade' is over and hope there won't be another one like it any time soon ....

...so far - so good...and that was 24 hrs ago...Whew!

...well at least 'it's better than a hole in the head'...hee!

the farmer's daughter...

...my new and tiny garden...

I always took it for granted that my dad was a farmer...

...and since he knows everything (as far as I am concerned) there is to know about farming...plowing...planting...fertilizing...watering...

...cultivating...and finally harvesting...

...only to begin the process all over again each season....
my dad is the farmer in my life...

Besides his farm of 1,000 acres or so, the garden behind the house encompassed at least 1/2 an acre and we, as his children, were blessed (in retrospect) to work in it and receive the benefits from it...

My mom is a farmer, too...
she set a great example of hard work and nurturing in the garden...

                          Throughout my adult life,

I have tried to emulate the garden...

                                                      ...not in size but in principle and quality...

Each home we have lived in over the years had a designated 'area' to plant our seeds and bedding plants and  

               we reaped the harvest of our labors..

 ...some of the crops failed

- the Arizona sun is a brutal entity to deal with -

                     but we tried, we learned , and for the most part

                           the results were edible...

...of course, the kids were always a big help...

(I think they at least developed a small interest in gardening...

well, maybe some of them did...)

Some gardens were bigger than others and had different watering systems but each attempt was met with added knowledge and experience for the next one...

When I had questions, I turned to my dad for advice...he would humbly make suggestions and I always respected everything he said...

Parenthood is alot like gardening...there is something to be said for planting a seed - nurturing it - watching it grow into maturity - and reaping the benefits that come with each relationship that has been cultivated...

...mistakes are made...but the efforts are continuous and laced with love... I felt that love and I hope my children and my garden feel it, too...

I hope I am becoming a better farmer and a nurturing gardener in each 'area' of my life and...
...I'm proud to be the farmer's daughter...

...the broken toe...a painful reminder of choosing to work barefoot...