Kick Ass Lasagna!

Lasagna...that perfect blend of cheeses, flavorful sauce and spices.  Flavor that hits your palate and makes you go "mmmmmm"!  Flavor that sits on your tongue and makes you sing "o solo mio" with a bad fake Italian accent!  

We took to Google in search of a good base recipe to build off of.  Found it on New York Times Food and tweaked it a bit and the results were friggin' amazing!

First off, we baked ours in a smoker, using smoked mozzarella.  The smokiness adds an additional layer of goodness so you might not get the same flavor profile that we did, but your won't be disappointed!  Unless you run out and buy a smoker, hahaha!  Second, I know that cilantro is not everyone's favorite so feel free to use parsley. Also, to save a little step, we used toothpaste garlic, we found it in the produce section at Smith's.

Instead of typing the recipe out..here's the link... Kick-Ass Lasagna

Take the time to create this...you won't be sorry!

Adventures in Ballooning - Misbehavin' & More

*I started writing this post over a year ago...found it in the archives and decided to finish is...excuse me in advance for my long-windedness on this one....

One of the perks of living 'out in the middle of nowhere' is that there are not alot of power lines above ground, the land is flat (for the most part) and the mornings in the winter, spring, summer and fall are somewhat calm.  Perfect conditions for hot air ballooning!!  Down the road from us is the soccer and baseball field complex - huge flat land conducive to the inflating and launching of said hot air balloons.  Early in the mornings I can hear the whoosh of the propane filling up the balloon, so I grab my cup of coffee and head out to the back porch and watch the balloons float overhead...a nice peaceful way to begin the day :)

Ruby Mountain Balloon Festival 2011

I've always wanted to go up in a hot air balloon. 

But in the back of my mind was always the thought 

"would I go through with it if the opportunity presented itself?" 

 I will admit, I am not daring.  My mind works in a worst-case scenario kind of way:

I really want to learn how to ride a motorcycle.  

Nope, I would fall off and turn into a giant piece of roadrash!

I love watching Alpine Ski racing!  That would be such a rush!

Watch out for that tree!

I want to go on a safari in Africa.

Can you say lion food?

I want to attend Burning Man.

I would get run over by an art car during a wind storm!

I want to ride in a hot air balloon.

A bird fly into the balloon, spinning it out of control and I will go splat on the ground!

Do you see me?  

There I am!  

I got the opportunity to crew for the McCoys on their balloon Misbehavin' a couple of weekends ago.  

What a great group of people I got to spend the morning with. 

 Gayle, Martha, Lisa, Tim and Laura were so much fun and eager to 

answer my questions and show me the ropes. 

Beautiful northeastern Nevada morning.

Looking to the west.

Looking to the east.

Looking down towards the marina.  There's the chase crew!  Hi guys!

Saw three deer heading up the trail.


Fast forward to present time....
I have been crewing regularly for Gayle and Martha for about a year and have had the opportunity to attend 4 festivals this year.  3 in Nevada - Mesquite, Lovelock and Winnemucca; and this past weekend in Panguitch, Utah.  I was also able to attend a yearly Safety Seminar in Park City, Utah that was very informative.

My family has grown...balloonists draw you into their world, it doesn't matter if you're a pilot, crew member or a volunteer...you are immediately welcomed into the family with a hug! 

Each time we fly, I learn something new.  I have graduated from holding the throat of the envelope during inflation to helping Martha attach the instruments to the basket, setting and attaching the cables to the uprights of the basket.  Lately my job has been to be on the crown line - the rope that is attached to the top of the balloon - and act as ballast to keep the balloon steady during inflation and the 'pull' the balloon down after it's landed.  If I did this every day, I would have arms of steel!

I don't get to fly every time we go 'play' and that's quite alright.  I love watching the faces of the people in the basket as they lift off the ground on their first balloon ride.  Those smiles are one of the main reasons we love doing this!  I kept telling myself that I didn't want to fly all the time because I didn't want it to get old.  But recently I've come to the conclusion that it is because I'd want to get my pilot certificate and my own balloon but that second part is financially impossible.  There is a saying among pilots that "Your first ride is free, the second will cost you around $20 grand!"

This weekend in Panguitch that bug worked its' way deeper into my brain.  My ballooning brother Josh had me get into his basket during the evening Glow and made me (forced me, I tell you!) to work his glow burner!  Touching that little red switch was a rush, it was as if I could feel the propane rushing from the tanks at my feet up into the burner, meeting the pilot light and sending a stream of flame into the beautiful balloon!  I was talking about this to Gayle as we walked back to the hotel later that evening.

His response to me was "You don't need a balloon to get your certificate.  We have two..."

Who knows?

There's a Lizard in the Kitchen!

Chicken Enchiladas

This recipe is a variation of the one in the Better Homes & Garden cookbook.  Gotta warn you, I put raisins in my enchiladas.  Yah, I know what you're thinking..."Raisins, Liz?  Really?  Ugh!"  But trust me, they add a little sweetness to the enchiladas.  Like you're biting into a little blob of happiness!  You don't have to add them.  I won't hold it against you, I promise.

I don't have any measurements, I just kind of play it by ear... This recipe will yield one pan of 'ladas.
I usually double it to two pans since my roommates and I have a difference of opinion on the whole raisin issue and I like flour tortillas while they prefer corn.  You are free to use the tortilla of your choice.

You'll need:

2 or 3 chicken breasts, baked and shredded
1 large can of enchilada sauce
Shredded Cheese, lots of  shredded cheese (I use a Colby-Jack mix, but you can use your favorite)
1 can diced green chiles
Yellow Onion, diced
Raisins, optional
Diced Black Olives
Tortillas of your choosing

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

If you're using corn tortillas, wrap them in foil and and toss them in the oven for about 5 minutes to make them pliable.

I didn't do this the first time and they broke apart when I rolled them.

It wasn't a pretty sight.

Put your shredded chicken in a bowl and stir in enough enchilada sauce to coat the chicken a little.

Add some of the sauce to the bottom of your casserole dish, just enough to coat the bottom.

I got a papercut underneath my fingernail yesterday at work, it hurts.

Just thought I'd share that with you.

Take a tortilla and place it on a clean work surface.  Plop some of your chicken in it.  Top that with some cheese, onion, chiles, olives and raising.  Use as much or as little as you want to.

Roll the tortilla and place it seam side down in the casserole.

Repeat that last step with all your tortillas.

Pour more enchilada sauce over the tops of your rolled tortillas.  I use a pastry brush to spread it around evenly.  At this point I also toss more of the onion, chile, olives and raisins on top.

Cover the casserole with foil and put it in the oven for about 35 minutes.

Pull your pan out of the oven, uncover and smother the top of the enchiladas with more of the shredded cheese.  Use as much or as little as you want.

Put your uncovered pan back in the oven for about 5 minutes or until the cheese is melted.

Hey, guess what?  They're done!  Enjoy!

There's a Lizard in the Kitchen!

So this morning I was thumbing through a bunch of recipes that Roomie Shauna found and a couple of them caught my eye.  Parmesan Garlic Knots and Soft Pretzels.  Yum!  

Soft Pretzels

via tasteofhome.com

• 1 pkg, (1/4 oz.) active dry yeast
• 1-1/2 cups warm water
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 4 to 4-1/2 cups all purpose flour
• 8 cups water
• 1/2 cup baking soda
• 1 egg, lightly beaten
• Kosher salt, sesame or poppy seeds, parmesan cheese, cinnamon sugar mix - you choose!

• In a large bowl, dissolve yeast in warm water.  Add the sugar, salt and 2 cups all purpose flour; beat until smooth.  Stir in enough remaining flour to form a stiff dough.
• Turn onto a floured surface; knead until smooth and elastic, about 5 minutes.  Place in a greased bowl, turning once to grease top.  Cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled, about 1 hour.
• Punch dough down; divide into 12 portions.  Roll each into an 18 inch rope and twist into a pretzel shape.
• In a large saucepan, bring 8 cups water and the baking soda to a boil.  Place pretzels into boiling water, one at a time, for 30 seconds.  Remove with a slotted spoon and drain on paper towels.
• Place on greased baking sheets.  Brush with egg and sprinkle with the desired topping.
• Bake at 425 degrees for 12-14 minutes or until golden brown.  Transfer to wire racks. Serve warm.  Makes about 1 dozen.

I made these this morning and used Kosher salt on half of them and a cinnamon sugar blend on the other half.

Shauna's going to make some spicy nacho cheese dip for the salted ones and we want to make a cream cheese icing to dip the others in.

Then Shauna and I made the Parmesan Garlic Knots later this afternoon.  

These are so simple!  So easy!  So yummy!  

You'd best have some marinara sauce or ranch dressing or both 

on hand in which to dip these little bites of heaven!

Parmesan Knots

• 1 tube (12 oz) refrigerated buttermilk biscuits
• 1/4 cup canola oil
• 3 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1 teaspoon parsley flakes

• Cut each biscuit into thirds.  Roll each piece into a 3-inch rope and tie into a knot; tuck ends under.  Place 2 inches apart on a greased baking sheet.  Bake at 400 degrees for 8-10 minutes or until golden brown.
• In a large bowl, combine the remaining ingredients; add the warm knots and gently toss to coat.

This makes about 2-1/2 dozen.

I don't have a picture...they're all gone...no, not really.  I just didn't have my phone or camera handy.  We're going to have these with dinner tonight.  I think they'll go great with the rib-eyes that Roomie Jeff is getting ready to go toss on the grill!

Blogger's Block

I'm suffering from that right now.  There is so much that I want to blog about, but every time I open this up, whatever it is I want to write about becomes a jumble of words in my mind and I can't seen to get them to come together.  So instead of just sitting here staring at a blank 'page' and trying to force my brain to form cohesive thoughts that will flow together nicely, I'm just going to toss together a short synopsis of what I've been wanting to blog.  Short and sweet...like my sisters!

Chili Feed
Back in February, Dad and I attended the annual chili feed put on by the POW*MIA Elko Awareness Association.  This year it was held at the convention center, as the number of attendees has grown so much that they outgrew the former location.  We were treated to a wonderfully delicious variety of chili served by the amazing Nevada East Roller Girls, on skates! There was also some heated auction action and we got to see our State Assemblyman, John Ellison, model a leopard print Snuggie!   Before we ate, we all gathered in the auditorium for the presenting of the colors and a demonstration from the Association's Drill Team.  We were introduced to dignitaries from the National League of POW*MIA Families, J-PAC (the nations largest forensic science lab, they are responsible for the identification of remains, they bring a lot of families closure).

Confessions from a Former Picky Eater
Hey Momma, I eat asparagus now!  And spinach!  And brussel sprouts!  Ok, I lied, I still won't eat brussel sprouts...And I don't eat my burgers with just ketchup anymore, now I like 'em with cheese, and mustard, and garlic, and tomato, and lettuce, and sometimes I'll use baby spinach instead of lettuce!

The Bakery
I've blogged a couple of times about helping out at Trinity and Michael's bakery, Let Them Eat Cake.  Well, Trinity got an opportunity to take a job at a  fancy-schmancy restaurant in New Orleans, so they passed the torch of the bakery on to their friend Shawn.  Trinity is in NOLA and Michael is here packing up the house and getting ready to meet her there next month.  I will miss them ALOT!  I have a lot of fond memories, like this one from St. Patrick's Day.  Things got a little crazy while we were making corned beef and cabbage...

I'm going to miss the cranberry oatmeal cookies that Trinity makes, I'm going to miss the Irish Car Bomb cupcakes, I'm going to miss bickering with Michael while Trinity rolls her eyes at us, I'm going to miss the true owners of the bakery, Scooter and Vespa, the faithful Corgis.  I'm going to miss Trinity and Michael and Samantha!  One thing I won't miss about the bakery is the deadly strawberry slicer utensil...

Knit One, Purl What?
I finally got the two scarf projects I was working on done last night.  Trinity's Mardi Gras scarf is on the left and the one on the right is the crazy scarf I made for my friend, Sarah.  I'll be delivering Sarah's to her today, but Trinity said I can't UPS hers to her, I must deliver it in person.  The money in my coin jar are now earmarked for a trip to Louisiana to see Trin in New Orleans and my sister, Stephanie in Baton Rouge.

This morning I started working on another scarf and it's really frustrating me.  I've cast-on three times, followed the pattern precisely and still am ended up with one extra stickin' stitch!  Arghhh!!!

Homemade Bread
I made bread not too long ago and it tasted and looked great!  I shared pictures of it on Facebook.  What I didn't share were the pictures of the shattered Pyrex casserole dish.
The baking directions called for a pan of water being placed on oven rack below the Bread.  This doofus grabbed the first pan in sight without thinking of what would happen when she poured the hot water into the hot glass dish in the hot oven.
Um, yah.  It was loud, really loud...and scary, really scary.  After making sure that I wasn't bleeding all over the kitchen ( luckily, I wasn't hit with any flying Pyrex shrapnel) and quadruple checking the bread for glass (it was all good!), we cleaned the glass out of the oven while the bread rested on the counter.

I was s-m-a-r-t on the next go-round and used metal.

The bread came out moist with just the right amount of chewy-ness and without being peppered with glass shards.


Thanks for visiting!

Knit One, Purl What?

I think I mentioned in the first Knit One post that I had decided to knit most of my Christmas gifts this year. Well, I overcame my procrastination (just a little) and persevered!

Katie, my 13 yr old niece, got a soft, fuzzy scarf in purple and black.
I think she likes it, judging from the pictures!

The 16 year old, Kristen, was gifted this scarf and hat (the first one I made) in chunky greens, blues and purples. She declined to model it, but harassed me all Christmas Day to teach her to knit.

I'm going to start teaching both of my nieces to knit in the near future....

stay tuned, as I'm sure the experience will be humorous!

See the cute little munchkin in the photo below?

This is Zackary.

He's the son of my friends, Sunshine & Brandon.

He has an affinity for beanies.

He will steal them off of his father's noggin.

Now he has his own.

The pattern called for a pom pom at the top,

but I switched it out for a big tassel.

Several folk got dishcloths, too. Plus, I'm still working on dishcloths since I ran out of time.

No! I didn't procrastinate! I swear upon my knitting needles!

I'll keep posting pictures as I finish.

And wish me luck teaching the nieces...I'll need it!

Let Them Eat Cake...Bakery

I met Trinity a couple years ago when she came to me at work to order business cards and make some gift certificates for her baking business. She'd been renting kitchen space from a restaurant in town until about a year and a half ago when she and her husband Michael got a line on a small location that could be converted into a small bakery...The shop is cute and cozy and always smells good. Trinity started filling the case with a few different cupcakes and cookies, brownies, dog treats (gotta give the puppies a treat too!) and people could special ordercakes, pies and cheesecakes.

Doesn't that all look yummy?!
Come on, you know you want to call and order your holiday treats!!

Then her friend Shawn began baking and selling bread.
Her Challah is to die for and makes really tasty French Toast.

Then they decided to start doing healthy dinners 4 nights a week and call it What's For Dinner! Every Monday morning they post the menu on Facebook and through an email blast. People can call or email in their order before a certain time and then pick it up after 5.
The dinners are really yummy and priced reasonably.
It's been quite the success.

The holidays are coming.
You're gonna be busy with activities,
you're going to be too tired to cook.
You'll want a nice, healthy dinner to serve your family.
You'll need some cookies.
You'll need a pie...or two.
How about a festive pumpkin cheesecake?
Call Trinity!!!

Their hours are:

Mon thru Thurs 9:30 to 5:30
Friday 9:30 to 4:30
Saturday 11 to 2

1069 Idaho Street
775-401-6640

Stop in and say Hi to Trinity.
And you might just see her cousins Tandy & Bree,
who come down and help her out during the day.
And you can usually find me there on Saturdays.

Knit One, Purl What?

Back in 2005 my Momma gave me a knitting kit for Christmas. I perused the book, grabbed the needles and yarn and started knitting a scarf.

The knit stitch is as far as I got. The purl stitch was eluding me. I looked on YouTube, knitting websites and Roomie Jeff's mom tried to show me. But it was still eluding me. I couldn't wrap my brain (& fingers) around it. So after garter stitched scarf was done, I put the knitting away.

Until this past May, when I decided to quit smoking. It would give me something to do with my hands. I picked up another knitting book, some yarn, some needles and casted on.



I loved the thick chunky yarns I chose....What a nice, warm scarf they would make. This would be my crazy sampler scarf, trying new stitches, changing between yarns. But the purling was still giving my brain & fingers trouble. Grrr!!!

Then Momma came to visit me at the end of June. She showed me how to Purl. I got it! I really really got it!

While Momma was here, we went to check out the local yarn store...Hook, Yarn & Needles, a small shop owned by the wonderful Eva (a.k.a. Crochet Queen). She has the most amazing yarns. I want them all. Eva told us about a really neat knit/crochet online community -- Ravelry. They have tons of patterns and useful info. I've gotten a bunch of projects saved to my favorites already.

I've been back to Hook, Yarn & Needles a few times since then. One of the things I love about the shop & Eva is that she gets just as exited as I do about me mastering a new stitch or technique, no matter how simple. (as a former smoker, she's also given me some of her tips for quitting, too...double bonus)

This Christmas I decided to make people handmade gifts since money would probably be tight. And people love getting gifts made with love. I found a bunch of simple and fast, yet good-looking dishcloth patterns on Ravelry, bought some cotton yarn and started knitting away.

I'd wanted to try my hand at a hat, but most of the patterns I found used double pointed needles and I was hesitant to try them. So I found one that didn't use them...


I just added the tassels to both but haven't taken a picture yet....

One day I will use double pointed needles and make lots of socks in a rainbow of colors.

One day I will make a sweater out of a luxurious skein of Malabrigo yarn.

A Morning with the Bovines

Last week as I was driving out to Dad's, I saw that our family friends, the Rose's, had some of their cows and calves down in a pasture close to their house and got the idea that I wanted to take some pictures of them for my sister Stephanie. Dad mentioned it to Ranae, who said "Heck ya, come and take 'em!"

Well, I didn't make it over before they moved back up in the higher hills.

Yesterday morning at Dad's I noticed that the hillside behind his place was dotted with cattle.
I really wanted to go and take pictures but I was headed out the door to work.

When I got back to Dad's that evening, he told me that a couple of them showed up in his yard. Dad's neighborhood is surrounded on two sides by open range, so it's not an uncommon thing to see cows that close to the houses.

This morning I was determined to get out on the quad and hunt them down.
Since they were up high on the hill and I don't have alot of experience on the quad,
I was a little apprehensive about heading up a muddy dirt trail.

Yep, the top of this hill...

What if I fell off and they mistook me for a giant salt lick?

Have you ever seen a cow tongue? Gross! Bleech!!

But I had a mission.
Dammit, I was gonna get cow pictures for my Otis!
And get them I did!

Aren't they cute?
This is a "pair". A cow and her calf.
This I learned from Pioneer Woman.

"Hay Lady, what're you lookin' at?"

"Com'on Ladies, let's get outta here!"

Then it was time to head back down the muddy trail.

These Lucies are for you Stephanotis!
I risked life and limb and the threat of
cow tongues to get them for you!
But I love you more than all the cows in the world!
So it was, like, totally worth it!


**And speaking of Dad...He went to Salt Lake on the 7th and came back on the 16th but his gallbladder decided to stay there. His recovery is going great!!!!!!

Dad's Gall Bladder

Dad went to the VA hospital in SLC on Wednesday for a consult with the surgeons regarding his gall bladder. On Thursday the GI folks decided to do another ERCP (see previous post) to check for any more stones and possibly take out the stint that they put in back in February. Well, there were some more stones and some "sludge" in his bile duct. I talked to him shortly after the procedure and he said that this one didn't go as smoothly as the first. He was hoarse and a little incoherent from the anesthesia and intubation. Apparently he ended up with an infection after that and his temp was spiking to 104 degrees, so they had him on high grade antibiotics and hadn't transferred him back to the VA (they did the procedure at Univ of Utah Medical Center). I spoke with him on Friday, and the docs told him there was a possibility of them taking the gall bladder that day. Nope. The didn't. Also they put in a PICC line to administer the antiobiotics he's on...Cipro...Remember that stuff? It's what they gave to folks that were infected with the Anthrax virus a few years ago. So you know that's some potent crap. But he's in good spirits and I could hear him joking with the nurses while I was on the phone with him. Talked to him briefly yesterday as his cell was losing it's charge and his charger was at the VA while he was still at the U. He said they told him "maybe today". Nope!

I think he's back at the VA today as he told me he had his charger now. (I forgot to ask where he was) They want to keep him through this next week to keep an eye on him and get the infection totally cleared so they can go in and do the surgery.

I did a little research on gallstones and the causes. I don't feel like transposing it into my own words and since I am against plagiarism here's an informative link I found on the subject:

http://www.merck.com/mmhe/sec10/ch140/ch140b.html

My mom had her gall bladder out when I was little. Apparently it's common to get gallstones during pregnancy. Momma, sorry for giving you gallstones! I thought we only gave you gray hairs!!!

I will continue to update as I get more info. Please keep Dad in your thoughts and prayers :)

Update on Dad, Part 2

Well, I'm back in Elko. Dad is still in Salt Lake. Here's an update from the information we got on Monday morning:

The doctors came by on their rounds that morning. All very optimistic about stuff. The gallbladder does need to come out. But before they can do that, they need to make sure that the infection is all gone. So the plan is to preform another Endoscopy either Tuesday or Wednesday to check for infection and if the infection is all gone, they will remove the stint they put in on Sunday. From there, they will schedule the gallbladderectomy (ok, I didn't check WebMD for the proper term). There was also talk of doing an MRI either yesterday or Tuesday, but they need to inject contrast for the procedure and one of the effects of contrast is that it sometimes messes with the kidneys and Dad's kidney function is all screwed up from the gallbladder stuff. So they're hestitant to do that at this time. (Update on the kidney function: when I talked to Dad last night, he said that his urine was clear, of course, those of you who know our father know that those aren't the words he used!)

While I was still there, they needed to replace his iv. That was a very humorous half hour! It took 3 nurses to try and find a vein they could use! It came down to a nurse from the ICE unit who rocks at finding hard-to-find veins who had to bring in a portable doppler unit to find one. They were all getting frustrated by it and Dad was the calming presence to all of them! "Don't worry, take your time and do what ya gotta do." Success was finally achieved! Yeah Nurse Jason!!

He's in very good spirits and is very appreciative of all the well-wishes and thoughts and prayers that are being sent his way!! And he's got his cell phone with him, so if you'd like to give him a call, I'm sure he'd love to hear from those who have his number!

I'll keep posting update as I get them from him!

Update on Dad

On Friday Dad called the VA nurse who handles the Veteran's in Elko (we don't have a VA facility here) to schedule his next physical. He mentioned to her that he'd been constipated for 3 days but that it had finally 'passed'. He then told her that his skin and eyes were showing signs of jaundice and she recommended that he go straight to the ER in Elko because that could be a sign for a number of things - gallstones, liver problems or a strain of hepatitis. After examination, the ER doc concluded that Dad had gallstones that were blocking the bile duct and that we 'needed to get to the VA Hospital in Salt Lake City ASAP!" They coordinated his arrival at the VA with the folks in SLC and Dad and I were on the road by 8:30 pm that night (after driving to my house so I could pack a bag then back up to his house for him to pack as well). We stopped twice - once to get gas and once at a rest area to nap for about an hour. When we got into SLC we stopped to get me checked into a hotel then headed up to the VA. When I got back up to the VA in the morning, Dad was having an ultrasound to see what they could determine from that. Dad was in good spirits, his stats were good, not running a fever, blood pressure fine, etc. When the docs palpitated his abdomen, he said he was only feeling a slight tenderness where his gallbladder was and that his only complaint of pain was hunger pain since they weren't letting him eat. later that afternoon they sent him up for an MRCP which is kind of like an MRI. Sunday they would send him out for an ERCP (Endoscopic Retrograde Cholangiopancreatogram), where they would go in endoscopically to remove the stones that were blocking the plumbing. Then they would schedule him to come back to have his gallbladder removed. At one point they were just going to back off of the GI consult and go straight for his gallbladder. They then decided that they were going to do the ERCP. They do this procedure over at the University of Utah Medical Center and would transfer us over there by ambulance. At about 6 pm the ambulance showed up and we got him all loaded up. The VA sent a nurse with him, too. At about 7 pm all the players were in place - the docs, the nurse from the U, the tech, the anesthesiologist (yep, I know it's not spelled right!) They told us that once they got Dad to sleep and intubated, the procedure would be about 30 - 45 minutes. Cody, the nurse from the VA and I went to the waiting room and switched on the Olympics. At about 8:30, Cody and I started to wonder why we hadn't heard anything, so we both snuck down the hall to see if we could find anything out. We ran into the nurse who told us it was almost over and that they would be taking him to recovery shortly. At about 9 the doctor came in to talk to us. When they got the stones out of the way, they discovered that there was infection sitting behind them. That was a surprise to all of us, since he didn't present with any sign of infection at all - no fever (the last one at the VA before we left was 99.1), no nausea, no pain at the sight, and his demeanor was typical Dad the jokester). They inserted a stint that would help with the drainage of the infection that would come out at a later date. They got him moved to recovery and at about 9:30 they let Cody and I back there to see him. He was in good spirits, just a little groggy. I can't remember what time the ambulance showed back up to take us back to the VA...I rode up front in the ambulance and I jokingly asked the EMT if we were gonna run with the lights on. He said "no", but indulged me by turning them on for a brief moment. Then he said I could hit the lights if I wanted to...so I did and it made me a little giddy :). Then he asked if I wanted to turn on the siren. "I am a 43 year old woman! How would that look?!" He said to think about it....So when we pulled up to an intersection with some cars ahead and behind us I said sure, lemme turn the siren on! So he showed me which button it was and away I went! He said that was one of the cool things about his job...but the the coolest was being able to run red lights legally! I thanked him for fulfilling one of my childhood dreams! We got Dad settled back into his room and after staying with him for a bit, I went back to the motel.

I'm getting ready to head back over to the hospital now. Want to be there when the docs come see him. So where we sit right now is scheduling him to have the stint removed and having the gall bladder taken out. I will keep everyone posted with updates when I can.

Adventures in Dentures

I won't bore you or gross you out with details, but mouth issues have resulted in me getting dentures. It's a process I started on in 2005, but then the process was waylaid by vehicle issues. I went this past Friday to finish it all. 2 hours after entering the dentists chair, I was out and about with a new smile.

Ok, so I can't smile right now, but I will one day soon!

Right now, it's getting used to these things. Learning things all over again...eating, talking, swallowing...tried to whistle just now, couldn't. So for the time being, it's pudding, mashed potatoes, yogurt and jello (not that I'm complaining!). I tried to eat some bread w/butter last night, yeah, didn't work out so well. And when I took my first sip of coffee yesterday morning, I ended up wearing most of it, haha. Good luck to me...

And other updates:

Do you remember the pictures I posted of the raised bed Jeff and I built? And all the yummy vegetables I was going to plant? Didn't happen. When we replanted the veggies in the bed, we didn't realize it was still too early, so we lost them all. There's always next year...

One of the neighborhood strays apparently got under our house and had a litter of kittens. The cats kept hanging out at the heater vents (couple of times they pulled the vent out of the floor), we figured they were cold. Then the other day, Jeff heard a kitten meow, turned around and all of our cats were circled around the vent in the dining room. He looked down the vent and a little fuzzy orange face was peering up at him. Last night we were able to coax him out of the vent. he was so cute and fuzzy and purred so sweetly. Not sweet enough for us! We called Jeff's brother Beaux, told him about the kitten, he said bring him over. So Jesse took the kitten across the street to Beaux, whom the kitten did purr sweetly enough for! So the kitten has a new home! Yippee!

The breakfast we had for the balloon festival was a hit. And all my food came out great.

Other than that, it's been business as usual here at the casa.

Spaghetti for Dan

About 2 years ago, one of the guys from work, Dan, fixed a problem I was having on my computer. I told him I would make him homemade spaghetti as payment.

Have I told you I'm a procrastinator? I think I've mentioned that before...

Well, I procrastinated.

Until now.

Dan's last day is Wednesday, so I thought I'd better get on it. I was going to come home from work on Tuesday night and get it going. I got all the ingredients Saturday, I was on the ball!!

I didn't go to work today (Tuesday). I spent the morning in the dentist's chair of pain having a tooth pulled. Ok, I was only in the dreaded chair for about 10 minutes. It took longer to give me the novacaine than it did to pull the tooth. I went home and took a long nap and when I woke up I didn't feel like doing anything, let alone cook. But I had made a promise to Dan last week that I would definetly make him spaghetti and I couldn't go back on my word, especially after putting it off for two years!

Browned 1 lb. ground beef with 2 chopped yellow onion and a gazillion cloves of garlic (ok, 4). Added that to a big can of crushed tomato, 2 med cans of tomato sauce, some tomato paste. Toss in some dried parsley, some thyme, basil and brown sugar. Brown sugar? Huh? It cuts some of the acidity of the tomato. Normally I would add raisins instead of the brown sugar, but most people say "ewww" when I tell them I put raisins in my sauce. Then I browned some Italian Sausage and threw that in too, along with a splash of Shiraz wine that was sitting around. I'll simmer it through the evening and turn it back on tomorrow morning while I boil the noodles. Then off to work I'll go with it!

Good luck to Dan in his new venture!!

Stay tuned cuz next week I'll be blogging about the breakfast I'm throwing for some family members during the Ruby Mtn Balloon Festival! We'll watch the balloons launch on Sunday morning while feasting on frittata, fried taters, muffins, apple skillet cake, scrambled eggs and bacon. Those last two items courtesy of Jeff for those who might not want frittata. Coffee, hot cocoa, spiced cider....

Thankful

Shauna & I sat outside last night as the sun was going down. We had the new patio set all put together and were sitting at it enjoying the cool breeze and the quiet and we both proclaimed how lucky we were to live in Rural Nevada.

The sky was an inky blue, thanks to a late afternoon storm that passed over us. And the clouds...it looked as though a painter had bounced over the sky with a brush dipped in white paint, then muddled it with a pale gray. There were just a few stars in the sky, the rest wouldn't be showing themselves for a little while. The moon was a thin bright white crescent. The setting sun was casting it's orange-red glow along the Ruby Mountains, turning them a brilliant deep dark red.

The only noise was the laughter of kids playing down the street mixed with the whinnies (sp?) from neighbohood horses and Gunner from next door barking at a bird that dared to sit atop his kennel.

All mixed together, it makes for a peaceful existence. And one that I am thankful for everyday.

I get to drive to work every morning and see cattle grazing in fields green with sage and tall grass. And every once in a while, I am lucky enough to catch real cowboys and cowgirls on real horses driving cattle along the cattle path that runs next to the 'highway'. One of the horses we pass on the way to work had her foal this past week. Every morning for the past few months we've look closely to see if she's had her baby...What a nice surprise to see the cute gangly baby!

You see, Elko County is steeped in the rich tradition of ranching and farming. With names that go back to the beginnings of the area. Even with the gold mines that are hidden from view, way up in the hills, the ranchers have maintained their lands and the two have learned to coexist.

We might complain about the lack of variety as far as shopping here in Elko. We might complain that we have no Carl's Jr. But I don't miss the pollution clouding the sky, the hustle and bustle of city life nor do I miss tall buildings obscuring my views.

Yes, sometimes I miss the smell of the sea air wafting over the Redwood trees of my hometown in California. And living in a house that's surrounded by the mighty giants of trees. But when I get a hankerin' for the smell of redwood, I head to Home Depot and stand in front of the redwood planks and take deep breaths. And when I long for the smells of the beach, I open up the container of sand from Capitola, CA that Jessica brought me from her vacation last year.

What are you thankful for about where you live?

Good Buy

This is the picnic table that we've been using

for the past few years.

It was left here by the previous tenants

& we just kind of took it over.

It's weather-beaten from the elements,

but still served it's purpose.

Well, OK, Jesse and his cousin Shawn were

really the only people who sat at it to eat.

It did make a good gardening bench for Shauna & me;

and the outdoor cat, Little Boy, liked to lounge on it

in the early morning hours before the sun hit it's peak.

When Shauna & I were doing the grocery shopping at Smith's

a couple weekends ago, a patio set caught our eyes.

"Wouldn't this look nice on the back porch?", said Shauna

as we plopped down in the chairs

"Yep, it would", said I, "but it's $450."

"I would even sit outside & eat at this table", said Shauna,

who is fair-skinned and overheats in the sunshine.

Then we continued on with our shopping.

Thursday morning when I pulled into the parking lot at work,

I saw that Smith's had all their patio furniture outside with

big signs screaming:

50% off!!!

Then Friday at lunch, I poked around

the selection that they had out,

but couldn't find the one that we had looked at.

When I told Shauna that they didn't have it, she said

"Just pick out one that you like."

When I went on my weekly grocery trip Saturday,

I poked around some more and found ours!

Yeah Liz!!

It went home with me.

As Jeff and his brother Beaux took

Jesse and Shawn camping that morning,

it was up to Shauna & I to put the thing together.

It took us about 2 1/2 hours,

but we kicked ass!

This is the umbrella that goes with it.

But they didn't have anymore of the bases,

so we either have to find one somewhere else

or make our own.

Here's to many a fun evening bbq'ing

and enjoying the cool nights.

Until it starts to snow again....

The Mixer Saga

For the longest time I have wanted a KitchenAid stand mixer. I yearn for one. I would give my left pinky finger for one. I would sell my nieces for one, but I don't think Jessica would like that (or maybe she would).

Enter my dear friend Pioneer Woman. Ok, so I've never met her, I just read her blog(s). PDub has been holding giveway contests where the prize is a...

wait for it...

KitchenAid Artisan stand mixer!

Oh joy! I have a chance to win one!!

This week, she gave away this one:

But I didn't win. And I have a theory on that.

KitchenAid is against me due to an incident from the 70's involving a certain white KA mixer,

my sister Stephanie and myself.

We were two kids with nothing to do. For some reason we took the aforementioned mixer down to the carport where we had previously gotten white paint on one of the workbenches. I don't know which of us did it, but the mixer ended up sitting in a glob of paint and forgotten for a few hours. The paint dried to the bottom of the mixer. The parents were not happy with us, but Momma still used the mixer.

So I guess I am doomed to life without this:

But a girl can dream....

Blog Name Contest Winners!

Yah, I know, I said the winner would be announced last Monday. But hey, I told you I'm a procrastinator, didn't I?! All of the entries were great, but a couple really stood out.

Anywho, the decision has been handed down and the winner of the contest was Stephanie Bauer with her entry of "Lizard Droppings"! Stephanie wins a 12 month personalized calendar! All she needs to do is pick 13 photos and email them to me along with special dates she wants on the calendar!

There was another entry that really caught the judges eye, so Francais is being awarded with an honorale mention prize of an academic planner! Frankie-Moo, send me a couple pictures for the front of your planner! Oh, you want to know her entry? "Dust in the Desert: A Lizard's Tail".

The other entries were:

Leaping Lizards, Auntie Janet
Liz Out Loud, Auntie Diane
First Daughter, Dad
The Wonderful World of Lizzy, Leslie L.
Lizard's Creek, Jessica R.
2009: A Liz Odyssey, Sunshine M.

Thank you to those who entered, the judges said they had a hard time deciding!

Stephanie and Francais can email their photos to lizzybeth167@gmail.com!

Spring Creek 4th of July Parade

My 4th started out with the Spring Creek Parade.

The day started out a little dark & rainy,

but the blue sky emerged for the event.

We watched the parade from Sunshine & Brandon's driveway.

Here are some of the images we captured:

The parades in Elko County are always led by the local chapter of the POW*MIA Association.

This was a very powerful image and brought tears.

These horses were absolutely beautiful.

You can't have a parade in a ranching community without the Pony Club or tractors.

Although I don't know how a gorilla fits into that.



More beautiful equines and a local 4-H chapter.

Our Nevada Division of Forestry and BLM firefighters also joined in on the action.

The yellow BLM truck sprayed the crowd with it's water cannon thing on the front.

This was the float from Baily Construction.

They were raffling off the playhouse.

This bike was cute! It even had hydraulics that raised & lowered the front end!

Do they threw candy at your parades? They do at ours.

This float had a candy cannon that showered sweets at the parade goers.

Oh yeah, it started to rain as we got in the car to head home....