Baby! It is cold outside!

I am up in Washington state taking care of Andrea and family after Andrea's knee surgery. We still have about 6 to 8 inches of snow outside and although it warms up during the day a bit the snow stays!

Eli (2) is intent on coming home with me. He continually tells me he is going to Gaga's house. He is very serious! We shall see. He is pretty hard to resist!

Holy Domino's!

It's Sunday domino night with Grandpa.  Barb, Jacki, Josh, Chloe, Lucy, Greg & Grandpa are in a heated game.  Grandpa is winning!!!  (Even with only one hand!)

I am the official server of treats!  We are having chocolate, chocolate, and more chocolate.  Soon, we'll break out the miniature lemon bundt cakes... yummy!

New recipe out of Cooking Light ... we shall see!

I will post the recipe if it turns out to be worth eating!  It is lower in butter and eggs than a typical pound cake, so I am getting prepared to cook like the new Paula Deen!  You go girl!

I can't believe all the criticism which has been directed at her.  Surely, people are intelligent enough to make their own menus and make their own choices.  Since when does a cooking show host have to cook healthy???  Pretty soon we're going to start regulating what we can watch on TV, what cookbooks we can buy, and how much sugar and butter we can buy at the store!  Maybe we'll be forced to go back to rationing food stamps for such luxuries!  I love watching her show just the way she is.  She has partnered with a pharmaceutical company to encourage viewers to bring moderation to the way they cook and eat.  Who could possibly be a better spokesman for such a company?  I think she will do a great job and I am excited to see what she has in store for us on Food TV!  You go Paula!!!!!

A very scrappy day!

Today Gail and I scrapped...


We went to a cardiology class and learned a few new techniques and made some very cute cards.  But, first we had a gourmet breakfast at MickyD's -- the dollar sausage biscuit and dollar large Diet Coke!  Can't beat that!

We had a blast, lots of laughs and made the staff there very jealous of a couple of old ladies!!!   Well, maybe not jealous, but we did provide lots of laughs!  Here's a couple of our card projects ...

The inside red card pulls out and you can put a gift card, message, or anything you decide.  Makes a really cute card for birthdays, wedding gift cards, etc...

Here's another ...

This one opens in the center and you can put a message inside, or a gift card, or anything else you want.

They are quick to make and really make giving a card a real gift!  But, the real benefit of the class was bringing two sisters together to have a really fun day together!
It doesn't matter where you go in life or what you do ... it's who you have beside you.   

After our class we had lunch at Arby's! We are really classy!  I had the Reuben sandwich -- which is my new favorite!  If you haven't had it, try one!  It's right up there with Sonic's Double Bacon Cheeseburger!

After the class & gourmet lunch date, I took Grandpa to his Urologist doctor to followup on some lab work that he had done earlier in the week (before he stepped on a crack and broke his fingers ...) His PSA had gone up about 1-1/2 points and the doctor decided to wait another 3 months and re-check it again in April.  He may decide to resume the Lupron hormone shots then if it continues to rise from his previously treated prostate cancer.  He looked at Grandpa's black eye and bandages and cast and thought he had been in a fight!  He then told us that he had been roller-blading (the doctor is at least 75 years old) and he fell and tore his hamstring...  Goes to support my theory that exercise is way over-rated ... tends to cause more problems than it prevents!
Especially for us older folks!!!

And, did you hear about Paula Deen???  Queen of butter and Southern cooking?  My most favorite Food TV personality?  She has diabetes!  She will be revising some of her recipes along with her sons to make them more diabetic-friendly...  Since Greg now
has diabetes, I am excited to learn more!

I signed up on her website and you can too!  http://www.diabetesinanewlight.com

Don't Step on a Crack!

Tuesday didn't start out well! 


Grandpa went on his normal daily walk at about 6 am and we got a phone call from a neighbor saying that he had fallen in front of their house.  Greg went and got him and he was bruised and bleeding from his face and left hand.  It was obvious that he had broken at least a couple of fingers and bruised his face under his left eye.  Greg took him to the emergency room where they ex-rayed, manipulated, medicated, splinted and consoled him.  He broke the ring and middle finger on the left hand.  No fractures on the head or face, but he will be bruised up for awhile.  

Greg had warned Grandpa about the variations in the sidewalks in our neighborhood, due to the trees placed so closely to the sidewalk in the greenbelt bordering the street.  Grandpa had been taking his walker, which would hit the bump or crack first, warning him of the un-evenness of the cement.  However, this morning he decided to forgo the walker because he thought it made too much noise and he was afraid he would wake the neighbors!  The reason it makes so much noise is because it is always hitting those uneven pieces of cement.  Where he fell is about 1-1/2 inches different on each side of the seam in the sidewalk.  A variation which can't be seen well by 92+ year old men walking early in the morning!

The City of Gilbert needs to fix the sidewalks, but it will be an expensive and elaborate process!  Poor grandpa!  


But, I decided that he needed some soup to get better!  Doesn't soup always make YOU better?  So, I made this Sausage Italian Soup, and it is absolutely delicious!  I've already had three bowls of it and it's not even time for dinner!




           Sausage Italian Soup

• 1 lb italian sausage
• 1 cup uncooked small pasta
• 2 celery ribs, thinly sliced
• 2 medium carrots, thinly sliced
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 4 cups water
• 1 can (14-1/2 ounces) diced tomatoes, undrained
• 1-1/4 cups reduced-sodium chicken broth or vegetable broth
• 1 teaspoon dried basil
• 1/2 teaspoon dried rosemary, crushed
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/8 teaspoon pepper
• 2 cups shredded fresh spinach
• 1/4 cup shredded Parmesan cheese, optional
• 
  
• In a large nonstick saucepan, saute the celery, carrots, onion and garlic in oil for 5 minutes. Stir in the crumbled sausage and cook until browned.  Add water, tomatoes, broth, basil, rosemary, salt and pepper. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 10 minutes or until carrots are tender.  Add uncooked pasta and simmer until tender.  Stir in spinach; cook until spinach is wilted, about 2 minutes. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese if desired. 
• 
  
• Yield: 5 servings.

Monday, Monday ...

  

Monday Monday, 
so good to me,                                      
Monday Monday, 
it was all I hoped it would be.
Oh Monday morning, 
Monday morning couldn't guarantee
That Monday evening you would still be here with me.
The Mamas & The Papas - Monday Monday - YouTube

Grandpa had to have lab work drawn so we went to the lab early ... then he treated me to breakfast at MacDonalds!  I'm a really cheap date ... $1 sausage biscuit and $1 diet coke!

Then, I took him south of our house to see how the new Gilbert Temple is coming.  It has progressed a lot since the last time I was there.  We are exactly 5 miles away from the temple site.

Andrea is progressing from her knee surgery.  She had quite extensive surgery to repair an old injury that the Navy wouldn't take care of.  It is pretty sad that our soldiers and their families give everything to defend our country, and we skimp on their medical care!  She had to have a tendon transplanted from her hamstring to her knee and extensive work on the bone and kneecap.  Her mom, Darlene, is up in Washington taking care of her for the next couple of weeks so she can recover, since she can't bear any weight or drive for 4 weeks.  I will go up when she leaves and help out.  Looking forward to seeing those grandkids again.  When I call, Eli says he wants to go home (meaning our house), so he can ride the dinosaur (on the merry-go-round) and get pretzels.  We sure had fun while he was here!  He loved the train at Santan Village, the merry-go-round at Superstition Springs, and the Pretzel place at both.

It's a beautiful day in the neighborhood

Mesa Arizona Temple December 2011

It truly is a beautiful day.  Fridays are my favorite day of the week.  Both Greg and I get to go and volunteer at the Mesa Arizona Mormon Temple every Friday, and it is the absolutely the best place on earth!  Angela took a great picture of the Temple before Christmas when we went to walk around the exterior and enjoy the Christmas lights.  It was magnificent!

Such a sense of peace and reverence surrounds the grounds and inside of the temple.  It is truly a wonderful place to be.

But, life goes on in the Allen household.  We are to the end of the week with Grandpa and so far so good!  He is actually a very good house-mate and keeps his complaints to himself!  (I know there must be some, we just haven't heard them!)  Tonight he will be on his own with dinner, but I think I have taught him how to use the microwave and heat up his dinner.  If not, he can fall back on a 3-day old salami sandwich that Angela made him earlier in the week.

Brent, Barb & Grandpa

Brent and Barb came to visit Grandpa before Brent heads off to Montana (or is it Wyoming?)  Sad to see them go, but excited for a new adventure for both of them!  Brent will go first and check out the housing, church, shopping, etc., and Barb will go up within the next month or so.  She has lots to do here to get the house packed up and ready to move!  Brent has the easy job (working and picking up the paycheck)!

We are selfishly excited for them ... because now we get Grandpa!

Cloudy with a chance of smoked brisket

Thursday brings cloudy skies but no rain.
Kind of a quiet eery day.  The huge question for today is what I am going to plant in my garden this year.  After last year's huge haul of tomatoes and peppers, I am thinking maybe something else??  My zucchini did really well, but my summer squash was kind of a flop.  I learned that if you plant summer squash close to zucchini, it all turns to zucchini!  Oh, well, we even had zucchini relish, which was yummy!

This season's potato garden

Last season's tomatoes

And, what's better than bacon, basil and tomato sandwiches or Capresi salad???   Plus, 30+ jars of salsa ...  Mmmm I may have to rethink that.  But, so far my potato garden is doing great.  From my research, I am apparently waiting for the plants to die before I harvest the potatoes. Looking forward to that!  Especially since I started with a handful of rotten potatoes!

Tonight for dinner, I am serving Grandpa smoked beef brisket, pinto beans, coleslaw and orange and basil salad (both fresh from my garden!)  If the salad is good, I'll post the recipe!

Dinner was GREAT!  This salad is really refreshing:

Sicilian Orange & Basil Salad

4 oranges, peeled and sectioned

1/4 cup chopped fresh basil

1/2 red onion, thinly sliced

1/4 cup red wine vinegar

1 Tbsp olive oil

salt and pepper to taste

After peeling oranges and chopping basil & onions, mix vinegar, oil, salt and pepper and toss altogether.  Serve immediately!

Well, dinner was a success and for dessert we had Key Lime Pie, courtesy of John and Rita Phillipa!  Yummmmm!  Rita and John (our dear (and longest, not to be confused with oldest) friends from somewhere up by Showlow ... Heber to be exact), stopped by and we fed them too.  Great to have good food, family and great friends at the table!