Roadtrip to the Rim

Randy & I decided to take a much-needed roadtrip to the Mogollon Rim this morning. At 10:30am. Just so you know I had already been up for 8 hours and accomplished everything I had planned to do that day, so why not leave our worries behind and hit the road. And besides, it was overcast. Love traveling when the sun isn't beating down on you.

Spending time with God in nature, surrounded by His creation, does wonders for my heart and soul.

But when we got to the Rim, the roads were closed leading to all the camping/ picnic sites. So we parked in front of the gate and dragged our chairs to the deck behind the Information Cabin and sat overlooking the largest stand of Ponderosa Pine on the continent.

We were hoping to see a storm roll in... but nothing materialized.

So fun seeing snowy patches everywhere.

The sun peaked out while we were hiking through the forest.

The snow sparked and the emerald green moss glistened.

Oh how I needed this...

And oh how Randy needed his favorite dish at the Beeline Cafe in Payson ~

roast beef and mashed potatoes smothered in gravy. It may not look so pretty but it was pretty darn good. ha :)

I captured this drive-by photo of Weaver's Needle in the distance on our way home.

Thank you Lord. The perfect little get-away in preparation for Easter Sunday. I'm ready now.

Tyler's 24

When our son Tyler was born 24 years ago, his first outing was to church Easter Sunday. He was 1 week old and his 7 year old brother Shawn was being baptized. It rained like crazy that Easter morning. Which might explain Tyler's love of rain and his plans to move to a part of the country where it rains a lot. ha!

Not sure if his plans will come to fruition, but I was aware that this birthday needed to be extra special. So we had a family picnic at Kiwanis Park a few days before his birthday ~ pizza, veggies, chips and angel food cake with strawberries & raspberries on top. And Cool Whip!

Saturday morning we took Tyler to Chompies for his free breakfast. By far the best birthday breakfast deal in town. And mighty good too!

But the best birthday meal is Joe's Farm Grill in Gilbert. Oh my gosh, the best food and ambiance! And they deduct $10.00 off your bill on your birthday. Can't beat that with a stick.

Joe's Farm Grill is located in Agritopia ~ acres and acres of lush green orchards and gardens.

A little slice of heaven in the middle of the 6th largest city in the country.

The grapevine buds had just popped open and they were stunning.

So thankful to have had time with our son, to hear his heart and longing to live out his life to the fullest. Praying he will trust God in this next season. And just go for it!

Land O'Lakes butter

Land O'Lakes butter has been a part of my life for as long as I can remember. I grew up on a dairy farm in Wisconsin, so that meant lots of butter with everything.  I don't know about you, but bread and popcorn were just a means to soak up the sweet, creamy, buttery goodness. 

I even collected enough proofs-of-purchase to get a free Land O'Lakes recipe tin shortly after my husband & I were married in 1979.

And then several months ago I "liked" the Land O'Lakes Facebook Page, and my life has never been the same. Oh my gosh, the best Facebook Page ever! Every day they post the best recipes. I'm not kidding, I not only pin most every recipe, but I've actually made several. And for me, that's a big deal. Also, pin or re-pin a Land O'Lakes recipe and they will donate 8 meals to Feeding America! How cool is that! What a generous company.

Anyway, today I was googling a dance pavilion I loved back in the 70's called Lake Shore Pavilion in Hixton, Wisconsin. I spent many Friday nights dancing to some of the best Rock 'n Roll bands in the Tri-State area. But just to show you how long Lake Shore had been in existence before I went to dances in the 70's ~ I found this Aug. 10th, 1944 advertisement in The Blair Press ~ click HERE. 

Oh, and check this out ~ next to the Lake Shore advertisement was this Land O'Lakes cartoon. You may be able to read it better on the actual link. How cool is that! Especially the line ~ Dairy Farmers have the best sense of humor! I could not agree more. ha!

Land O'Lakes was founded July 8th, 1921 ~ (Wikipedia)
 In 1924, the uniformly graded sweet cream butter was given the name "Land O'Lakes" after a contest, and the certificate forms used by the Association included the "Land O Lakes" marketing name ~ Minnesota's state nickname is "Land of 10,000 Lakes".

The name became so popular that the organization's public identity was often confused with its product name; thus, in 1926, the organization itself adopted the name "Land O' Lakes Creameries, Inc." and became synonymous with its product.

I can't believe my Land O'Lakes recipe tin is over 33 years old!

And Land O'Lakes butter happens to be on sale this week at my local grocery store ~ 

so I stocked up! ($2.50 per 1# box)
I am so happy when I have at least 4 1# boxes of butter in my freezer. ha!

my favorite colors

I am in love with these colors. Especially when I see them all together in a single item.
Blues and greens and yellow hues ~ the ultimate eye-candy.

I am never without my favorite glass of ice water. That's all I drink, all day long. So when I found one with my favorite colors a year ago, I paid full price ~ $4.00. ha!

And then I found the make up case at a yard sale for 50 cents. The perfect shades of my favorite colors. I mean perfect! I don't even use it, cuz to me it's like a piece of art. 

And then last week I found the tiered serving tray at a thrift store for $2.00. Seriously, I need another tiered tray like I need a hole in my head. But the colors! Oh those lovely colors. And because it's plastic, perfect for Arizona outdoor entertaining.

My son Tyler turns 24 on Saturday and we're having a family picnic at the park tomorrow afternoon. I can't wait to decorate using these colors.

P.S. I also love my orange plastic Ikea tablecloth, with my favorite colored circles. Yup, that's coming to the picnic too. Photos to come!

emolyn, elsie & the boys

My granddaughter Emolyn is quite the little makeup artist. She could hardly wait to give me a little Mimi makeover. I'm rather diggin' the blue shadow.

Thank God I looked in the bathroom mirror before leaving, as I was planning to stop at the grocery store on the way home. Yikes! But you can bet the next time I see someone sporting that 70's flashback, I will remember this and give them that knowing smile.

I was so excited to bring over the water & sand table that I found at a thrift store for $15.00. And it still had the cork, which is usually missing. I know, an amazing find! The girls had so much fun playing in the sudsy water. I bought it with the boys in mind, but knowing full-well the girls would get miles out of it till the boys are good and ready. ha!

I will leave you with a 27 second video of Elsie entertaining her baby brothers ~ 

she happens to be their favorite wind-up toy!

Phoenix in March

Shame on me for posting about our beautiful March weather, when my family back home in Wisconsin got 6 inches of snow last night, and it's still coming down! But when a family friend from back home comes to Phoenix, we're going to do our best to make him wish he wasn't going back to that mess later on this week. ha!

Yes, we drove a dear family friend up South Mountain yesterday. The weather was perfect. 78 degrees with clear blue skies and a slight breeze. South Mountain is the largest municipal City Park in the nation. 16,000 acres overlooking metro Phoenix. Breathtaking views of the city and the mountains surrounding the city.

David's family farmed a mile or so from our farm. I love hearing him tell stories about the history along Timber Creek... about the Norwegians that settled in that area in the late 1800's.

I've known David for 50 years. We both attended a one-room school in York, Wisconsin. Grades 1-6th grade. 5 boys and 15 girls. I was in 1st grade. He was in the 3rd grade. It was 1963, the year that President Kennedy was assassinated. I have vivid memories of my only year in that one-room school.

I focused on our downtown in the distance. Love our sprawling city, with that small-town feel.

The winds began to pick up while eating our picnic lunch, so we packed up and heading down the mountain to visit for several more hours. Just before we took him back to Apache Junction, I remembered to tell him about my friend Laura's blog post. She asked us to submit the name of a loved one that is battling cancer, because her husband and son were participating in the 30th Annual Climb for Cancer on South Mountain. 

Laura posted ~ "All the names were printed on a piece of paper and tucked in their water pack. And with each step, a prayer for a cure." 

How amazing to take David up South Mountain and then to tell him he was a part of the Climb for Cancer just 2 weeks before.

Please keep David in your prayers. He has been battling cancer for years, but lives each day to the fullest. He is a true inspiration. So thankful we could have the day together.