Gratitude for Don

It's that time of year when we are reminded to express gratitude for the blessings in our lives. I honestly think that we should express that gratitude more often, even daily to our spouses.

A year ago we were homeless and living with Don's parents in California. This year we are in our own home and enjoying Arizona. Don always had faith that the Lord would bless us beyond our wildest dreams and He has.

I so grateful for a wonderful husband. I could list all of the things that he is not (that I unfortunately had to endure with other husbands), but instead will say what he is.

Don is kind and generous to all he comes in contact with. He will give the beggar our last $20 and know that it really wasn't his (Don's) money in the first place. I have seen him raise the spirits of those in need so many times.

Don is compassionate with me. He empathizes with me when I get sick and is right there to take care of me and serve me. It's so amazing the things he does for me, not only when I'm sick, but every day.

Don is dedicated to the Lord. He takes his relationship with the Lord seriously, scripture study and prayer are not hit and miss with him. They are daily habits. He is always ready, willing and worthy to give a Priesthood blessing. He magnifies his calling. He truly loves those he serves and we spend hours each day talking about the Young Single Adults and how we can help them.

Don loves his children. He loves being a daddy and a grandpa. He helps them in any way he can and is committed to being a good daddy.

Don increases his knowledge daily. He doesn't watch TV, but instead reads and learns new things that will help us become more healthy and strong. Sometimes it seems like he is a walking medical encyclopedia. I can ask him questions and he knows the answers, thus saving me the task of looking them up.

Don encourages me to be creative. Early in our marriage Don noticed how happy I was as a homemaker and creator. I love to make things and he has been so supportive in my quest to create.

Don is my sweetheart. He is the one who holds me when I get anxious and nervous. He is the one I love to dance with.

He is a gentleman and will hold my hand, open the door, help me with my coat and put his coat on me if I get cold. He lets me sit by the window on the airplane. He'll carry my purse and scriptures for me.

He lets me drive if I want to, he doesn't always have to drive. He takes me for walks. He give me back rubs and foot massages. He makes special music CDs for me with all of my favorite songs. He always offers to buy me a soda or a candy bar when we're checking out at the store.

He is my traveling companion and will read books to me while we drive, or vice versa. He makes sure we have a private room whenever we travel. He lets me sleep in EVERYDAY. He makes me treats, like ice cream and cheese w/apples.

He likes having his picture take with me. I love having my picture taken with him.

He exercises at least once a day, if not twice. He eats good things and watches his diet.

He can fix things. He can fix the car, the motorcycle, the plumbing, the pool, the walls, the lights, the speakers, the fridge, the cabinets, the dishwasher, and the list goes on. He is a great handyman and mechanic.

He is my true love and I love him with all of my heart, forever and ever.

Persimmon Cookies

Persimmon Cookies

1 c Butter


1 c Sugar


1 Egg


1 c Persimmon pulp

1 tsp. Soda


1 tsp. baking powder

½ tsp salt

2 c Flour

1/2 tsp. Cinnamon


1/2 tsp. Cloves

1/2 tsp. Nutmeg



Cream butter and sugar.


Beat in egg and pulp.


Add dry ingredients.


Place on greased cookie sheet.

Bake at 350 degrees for 8 to 10 minutes.

50 Years

So today I turned 50.  It's not as bad as I recall my mom saying it was when she turned 50.

Now that I've officially labeled myself as "old".  For some reason 50 doesn't sound as bad to me now as it did when I was 17.  I guess it has to do with perspective and experience.

I look back and see all of the experiences that I've had over the years and know that I have been blessed beyond measure.  I have great children, a wonderful husband, a fantastic family, and great friends; but most precious to me is my testimony of Jesus Christ.  I am so grateful for Him and the experiences He has helped me through in my life.

So many times I've prayed, "Heavenly Father are you really there?" and it never fails that each time I get that warm reassurance that "YES" He is there and He knows exactly what I'm going thru.

I can only hope that each future birthday will bring with it the love, the joy and the companionship with my Savior that is so appreciated this year.

 

  

50th Birthday Mia-Maid Class Reunion

Don and I drove to Prescott, Arizona for a reunion of my Mia-Maid class (when I was a Mia-Maid). We all went to our advisor's home in Prescott for 35 years of catching up.

From left to right: Joy Cones Sears, Doris Kluge Mofford, LuCinda Curtis Bohannon, Sherree Henkel Svancara, Alona Mower Wilkinson, Michelle Metli Lake, Ina Mecham Calder, and Judy Houtman Henkel. 

It was wonderful to ALL of the girls there with our awesome leader Alona Wilkinson.

 Me with Alona Wilkinson

Carcassonne, France

We stayed in Toulouse, France for most of our trip.  We used it as our base and went off in different directions each day. On our way, we could see the cite of Carcassonne off in the distance and stopped to take a couple of pictures.

Here is a picture of the aerial picture displayed at the rest stop.  You can tell why we were so excited to visit this Castle.  It is considered the best restoration of a medieval castle in Europe.

Michelle with Carcassonne in the distance.

Carcassonne from a distance.

The day we went to Carcassonne was sunny and very humid.   parked in Le Cite and walked the mile to the castle walls, then up the hill to the castle itself.  

Here we are inside the Carcassonne Castle

We took the audio tour, the speaker hangs around your neck and you push a button which gives you a prerecorded description of what you are seeing.  We did the tour in English. 

View from one of the castle windows

Awesome picture by Don of the architecture inside the castle walls.

Another awesome shot by Don.

Our day in Carcassonne was awesome, we enjoyed taking pictures and learning about this awesome place.  This is a UNESCO world heritage site and truly deserves a visit if you are ever in France. To learn more about Carcassonne, click here.

Green Garden

All of Don's hard work preparing our garden is paying off. We have a lot of planter boxes and pots that we are growing in since our neighborhood is infested with gophers.

We have green stuff growing everywhere and we love it.  Don did a lot of research on the internet and even did "refrigerator incubation" on the spinach seeds to get them to sprout.  I just water, fertilize and harvest.  It's been great to have food from our garden every day.It was so wonderful to come home from our trip to Utah/Idaho and have everything going strong.  Our tomatoes have reached the rooftop. Click here to see how they used to look.

On the side of our house Don built a planter box system that grows all of our lettuce, spinach, swiss chard, chives, green beans, snap peas and some of our strawberries. Ethan helped plant our lettuce when he was here the beginning of March.  We haven't had store bought lettuce since April. 

This is the planter box that Don designed, his dad built and Don painted.  It is lined to lengthen it's usefulness and even has a drain system that Don installed.

This is the view from our back door. Totally green and mostly edible. It looks almost like a park until you get up close and see that the greenery is really edible stuff like tomatoes and squash.

Idaho Trip

We dropped off Brent in Provo (BYU meetings) and got a "free" hotel room thanks to our points. In the morning we got up and Don said, "Let's go to Idaho and see Julie."  Thank heavens Julie didn't mind our barging in on their weekend and changing their plans.  

We had a blast with Julie and Aaron Thursday and then Friday evening we drove to Boise and picked up Athena. We got a great view of the Boise Temple on our way to pick up Athena. We stayed at another "free hotel" and then on Saturday we drove up to Idaho City to visit Isabelle, Dale and Annabelle Hope. Isabelle is one of Don's converts from his mission in France and Switzerland.

  Dale and Isabelle Hope

Annabelle with Athena and Julie

We went to lunch at the cool place called "Trudy's". 

Here we are with Trudy.

Annabelle, Athena, Julie, Aaron, Dale, Isabelle, Michelle, and Don

We visited over lunch for quite awhile before heading back down the mountain. We had a wonderful time visiting. Isabelle and Don called one of his former missionary companions, Elder Cornette and the were able to visit for a little bit. Don even got to talk to Isabelle's mother in France, whom he also baptized. We are so grateful that we were able to take a couple of extra days to visit family and friends in Idaho.

Wedding Family Pictures

Don walked Melody down the aisle.

 SISTERS and BEST FRIENDS

   

                                Brent (favorite step-brother) and Melody

      Melody's Family (Sammie and Laci were getting pretty tired by this time.

Mark and Cass, Kiana, Kasen and Kamron

Don's Birthday Dinner

A week ago we celebrated Don's birthday with some of his kids, grandkids and his parents. I made his favorite dinner and his mom brought over Angel Food cake for dessert. It was a hectic day. We spent a couple of hours in the morning planting some vegetables with Ethan's help and then we visited with the kids and cooked up dinner for everyone. While the meatballs were cooking I took off with the girls for a pedicure. Yeah, I know it was Don's birthday so why did I get the pedicure? So I could get that "sexy red toe nail polish". I made Spaghetti and Meatballs for dinner and have had many requests for my recipe so here it is.

"Michelle's Red Sauce"

1 #10 can crushed tomatoes (Sam's)
1/2 cup sugar
2 Tablespoons Basil
2 Tablespoons Oregano
1 teaspoon Salt
1/4 cup minced garlic (bottled)

Simmer, stirring occasionally for at least an hour.

"Michelle's Meatballs"

5 lbs. Ground Beef
5 eggs
1 1/2 cup oatmeal
1/4 cup minced garlic (bottled)
2 Tablespoons Basil
2 Tablespoons Oregano
3/4 cup rice milk (or regular milk)
1/2 cup Catsup
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper

Mix together all ingredients. Use ice cream scoop to get even proportions for the meatballs and mold with hands. Place in pans sprayed with Pam (must have sides to catch grease). Bake at 375 degrees for about an hour. Transfer to pans lined with paper towels to drain excess grease. Makes about 4 dozen meatballs (1/2 cup size).

Happy Birthday to the best Husband!! You're Awesome! I love you more than you know!!

Chopped Chicken Salad

1/2 teaspoon ground cumin

Salt

3 cups chopped rotisserie chicken

2 limes, quartered

1 small head iceberg lettuce, shredded

One 15.5 oz. can black beans, rinsed

1 cup grape tomatoes, halved

3/4 cup chopped cilantro

1 1/2 cups shredded cheddar or monterey jack cheese

2 avocados, thickly sliced crosswise

In a small bowl, combine the cumin and 1/2c teaspoon salt. Place the chicken in a medium skillet over medium-low heat. Sprinkle with the cumin-salt and juice from 2 lime wedges and heat through, about 5 minutes; set aside.

Place the lettuce in a large salad bowl. Season with salt and the juice of 2 more lime wedges and toss to combine. Scatter the chicken on top, then the beans, tomatoes, cilantro, cheese and avocados. Season with the juice of the remaining lime wedges and toss to combine.

Fiesta Spoon Bread

One 14.75 oz. can creamed corn

1 roasted red pepper, cut into small cubes

4 scallions, trimmed and thinly sliced crosswise

2 large eggs

1 stick (4 oz.) butter, melted

1/2 cup half and half

1 teaspoon salt

1 cup cornmeal

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 pound sharp cheddar cheese, shredded

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Grease 2 quart baking dish, set aside. In medium bowl, stir together the corn, roasted red pepper, scallions, eggs, butter, half-and-half and salt.  Working over a large bowl, sift together the cornmeal and baking soda, then stir in the cheese.

Stir the vegetable mixture into the dry ingredients until just combined; do not over mix. pour the batter into the prepared baking dish and bake for 15 minutes. Lower the oven temperature to 350 degrees and bake until set about 20 minutes.  Serve hot.

Southern Corn Pudding

3 eggs, beaten

4 cups, cream style corn

3/4 cup cornmeal

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon garlic powder

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 cup butter, melted

1 small can mild green chilies

2 cups shredded cheddar cheese

Spray 13x9 pan with Pam.  Mix all ingredients, holding out 1 cup of the shredded cheese.  Pour into pan and sprinkle remaining cheese over the top.  Bake at 375 degrees for 30-40 minutes until the center doesn't wiggle when you shake the pan.  Serve warm.

Cranberry Chutney

1 package Craisens

1 can mandarin oranges with liquid

1/2 teaspoon ginger powder

1 cup water

In small saucepan combine all ingredients and simmer for 3 minutes while mashing mandarin oranges in to tiny pieces.  Let stand 1 hour (or longer) to allow Craisens to rehydrate.  Simmer and stir until thick.  Serve hot or cold.

Hamburger Cookies with French Fries

1/2 cup shredded Coconut

green food coloring box Vanilla Wafers

1 bag York Peppermint Patties

1 can shoestring potatoes

In small bowl, mix coconut with a few drops of green food coloring until it resembles the color of lettuce.  Unwrap the Peppermint Patties.  On a microwave plate, place a layer of vanilla wafers flat side up.  Place a peppermint patty on each wafer and top with a some coconut, leaving the center of the patty empty.  Top with another vanilla wafer, flat side down. 

Microwave for about 15 seconds.  Lightly press down the "top bun" to adhere your hamburger. Let cool and serve with French Fries (shoestring potatoes).

This fun recipe I got when the girls were very little.  I would make them every now and then for the girls and always once during the month of December (my cookie making month.)  I would make a different kind of cookie every day so the girls would be surprised when they came home from school - and we had lots to make cookie trays with for holiday giving.  Thanks for the request Melody.

Jello Cake

1	box white cake mix
	Water, vegetable oil and egg whites called for on cake mix box
1	box (4-serving size) raspberry-flavored gelatin
1	cup boiling water
1/2	cup cold water
1	container (8 oz) Cool Whip,  thawed (3 cups)
	Fresh raspberries, if desired

1.	Heat oven to 350°F (325°F for dark or nonstick pan).
2.	Make and cool cake as directed on box for 13x9-inch pan.
3.	Pierce cooled cake all over with fork. In small bowl, stir gelatin and boiling water until smooth; stir in cold water. Pour over cake. Run knife around sides of pan to loosen cake. Refrigerate 2 hours. Frost with whipped topping; garnish with raspberries. Store covered in refrigerator. This was a special summertime treat in Arizona since it's nice an cool. I love making it with a variety of flavors; i.e., lemon cake with lime jello, yellow cake with cherry jello, etc.  This is a great make ahead dessert.

Tamale Pie

• 1 pound lean ground beef
• 1 cup chopped onion
• 1 large can (15 ounces) tomato sauce
• 1 large can (28 ounces) tomatoes, cut up
• 1 can (16 ounces) whole kernel corn, drained
• 1 small can (4 ounces) sliced ripe olives
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 teaspoons chili powder
• dash black pepper
• 1/2 cup grated Cheddar or Mexican blend cheese
• .
• Crust:
• 3/4 cup yellow cornmeal
• 1 egg
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 cups cold water
• 1/2 teaspoon chili powder
• 1 tablespoon butter or margarine
• 1 cup grated Cheddar or Mexican blend cheese, for topping 

Brown ground beef with onions; drain well. Add tomato sauce, tomatoes, corn, olives, garlic, sugar, salt, chili powder and black pepper. Heat to boiling; reduce heat and simmer, uncovered, for about 20 minutes, or until thickened. Add cheese; stir until cheese is melted. Set filling aside. 

In a saucepan, combine cornmeal, salt, egg, water and chili powder. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until thick. Stir in butter. Spread half of the mixture into a baking dish, about 12- x 8-inches. Spoon filling over bottom crust; spoon remaining cornmeal mixture over filling. Bake at 375° for 45 minutes. Sprinkle 1 cup cheese over the crust about 5 minutes before casserole is done.

This was the meal that I always made on my night to cook at our house.  It was always my favorite to eat as well.  Thanks for the reminder Brooke.  This one's for you.

Michelle's Chicken Salad

4 cans chicken breast, 13 oz. each
1 1/2 cups Mayonnaise
1 cup Red Onions, finely chopped
1 cup Celery, finely chopped
1 cup Pecans, chopped
2 cups Craisins
1 Tablespoon Oregano
1/2 teaspoon pepper, freshly ground if possible
1 Tablespoon Garlic Powder

Mix all ingredients together until well blended. Chill at least 8 hours. Refrigerate in airtight container. Serve in sandwiches, croissants, in salads, tomato blossoms, on crackers or celery sticks.

Optional Ingredients: 1 cup shredded carrots; 4 hard boiled eggs, chopped; 1 cup grapes, halved; 1 cup apples, cored and cubed.

Arby's Chicken Salad: Add 1 cup grapes, halved and 1 cup apples, cored and cubed. This recipe must be used right away to prevent apples from turning brown.

Louisiana Chicken Salad: Omit Craisins and add 1 cup shredded carrots and 4 hard boiled eggs, chopped. Use within 4 days.

English Toffee Cookies

Graham crackers, broken into oblong pieces
1 cup butter
1/2 cup sugar
2 Large Hershey's Chocolate Candy Bars
1/2 cup walnuts, chopped

Preheat oven to 350. Spray 13x9 pan with Pam. Line bottom with graham cracker pieces. Melt butter in saucepan. Add sugar and bring to boil. Boil for 2 minutes stirring constantly while sugar is dissolved. Pour over graham crackers. Bake for 10 minutes.

Remove from oven and while still hot place one square of the Hershey's bar on each oblong. Wait 10 minutes and then spread chocolate with fork. Sprinkle with chopped nuts and press into chocolate. Cool. Cut into squares and remove from pan. Store in airtight container.

This was a holiday favorite to share with friends and neighbors. Simple, yet yummy.

Soft Ginger Cookies

1/3 cup shortening
1/2 cup sugar
1 egg
1/2 molasses
1/2 cup water
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon ginger
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon soda
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon cloves
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

Mix thoroughly shortening, sugar, egg, molasses and water. Blend in remaining ingredients. Cover; chill 1 hour.

Heat oven to 400. Roll into 1 inch balls and roll in granulated sugar; place balls 2 inches apart onto ungreased baking sheet. Bake 8 minutes or until almost no imprint remains when touched with finger. Immediately remove from baking sheet. Cool. Store in airtight container.

Makes about 4 dozen cookies.

I always loved these softer ginger cookies as opposed to the hard ginger bread cookies. Be careful, they disappear very quickly. Thanks for the request Melody.