Random Thoughts

Last night James and I went shopping in the "low desert" Palm Desert to be exact. While we were walking back to our car in a parking lot we noticed on the back window of the car next to us those little white figures, there were 3 people and it said, "One brat Two monsters". I got a little chuckle out of it and just then a boy ran up to get in the car so I asked, "Are you the brat or one of the monsters?" And at about the same time he recognized James and said hi to him so I knew he was one of James' students. He said his mom was the brat and he and his sibling were the monsters and then he encouraged me to read the license plate. It said, "Thnx Rex" and the frame around it read, "Marriage is grand...Divorce is 100 grand". I was speechless. The monster was proud that his mama brat had taken his Dad for a load of money. As we got in the car James said, "No wonder she's such a pain in my butt!"

Next thought... I liked Twilight the second time as much or better than the first Jolene, I even want to see it again! What is up with that? I haven't thought a male actor was all that attractive in years but Robert Patteson is pretty nice to look at! We took Grandma Palmer to see it while we were in Utah for Thanksgiving and I think she liked it a lot. I loved being in the Scera Theater again. I have many many happy memories there!

Still another thought...Thanksgiving was a blast! I loved the dinner in Orem, the food was especially good. My favorite thing? Martha's cheeseballs with goat cheese and blue cheese! And the funny thing is I made them. I didn't want to add the other cheeses since I love my cheeseball the way it is but Martha insisted and I did it for her. They were so yummy, I hope I can find some to add to my Christmas cheeseball.

Traditional Cheese Ball

16 oz. cream cheese
1-1/2 C grated cheese
1 jar Old English Cheese Spread (Kraft)
1/2 tsp. onion powder
1/2 tsp. garlic powder

Make sure everything is at room temperature. Combine all ingredients until smooth. Chill and form into balls or logs. Roll in a mixture of chopped pecans and dried cranberries or dried parsley and chopped pecans.

Variations by Martha, divide cheese into thirds. Make one traditional ball. Add a small amount of blue cheese to one and mix well, roll into a ball and cover with sliced, stuffed green olives. To the last portion add a small amount of goat cheese and roll in black pepper. Mmmm... yummy!

Variations by Alan: Add a touch of smoke flavoring to traditional cheeseball.

I got this recipe at a Tupperware party over 25 years ago and it has been a family favorite ever since! My kids love it when I make it and put it in a disposable pastry bag, cut the tip off the bag and squeeze onto Wheat Thins (I skip the nuts and cranberries, etc.). That's what we eat on trips and we take to amusement parks or such places for snacks. The recipe fills 2 bags and the bottle the cheese spread came in which I always hide as a snack for James when the rest is gone.

Our auction at Thanksgiving was a huge success! Everyone donated amazing generous gifts to the auction and we raised over $670! The big items being the wooden cradles Alan made and the wooden trucks he made. I loved that it was among family so everything went to someone who is going to love what they got and they didn't have to pay top dollar for it. It was fun for the kids to get to buy a ton of candy and toys (thanks to Sam and Owen) for just a little bit of money. Tim's name was drawn to choose what animals we would donate to Heifer International--he chose a goat and a flock of chicks. When I ordered them it was $10 short of $150 so I also bought a share of a pig in Martha's honor--she has a thing for pigs--and played a huge part in organizing and pulling off the whole event. The rest of the money was put in a family account (Tim oversees that account) for a future family reunion--we are hoping to do Timp Lodge again someday.

I also loved Lawrence's book making class, what a fun project and they all turned out cool. It was such a fun and blessed day for everybody.

Christmas is on it's way and I have to say that the focal point in our home at the moment is the gorgeous tree skirt Meridy made for me! I'll see if Reilly can post a photo for you (my camera has taken a turn for the worse...). Everyone who walks in admires it and James even rearranged the room to show it off better. The best moment of my week so far came when Reilly admitted to me, "Mom, I keep looking at our tree and I can't believe how beautiful it looks!" She used to loathe my style and always wanted something different. I've had fun decorating and expressing with my own sense of style. I don't know why decorating my house is such a passion but I love the artistic opportunities it gives me, as well as the creative challenges I get from it. I think one thing is that I love using things that have some meaning to me to surround my family, as if somehow it will help them feel my love at every level.