Mary's fresh peach pie

I've eaten a piece or two of this pie this fall....it's delicious!
Mom's fresh peach pie is easy to make as well, so give it a try this weekend.

Mash 2 peaches in the blender (add a little water if it's too thick to blend) add 3/4 c. sugar into which 3 T. cornstarch is added and 1/2 c. water. Cook for about 5 minutes or til boiling. Remove from heat and add 1/2 t. almond flavoring and 2 T. butter. Cool. Slice 3 peaches into each baked pie shell and pour above mixture over the top of the sliced peaches. Top with whipped cream. Enjoy!

Happy 29th - young mother Jordan

Our daughter Jordan is 29 years old today. It doesn't seem possible, but nonetheless, it is true. She has accomplished many things in her young life and now she is in the throes of being a young mother. She has taken this responsibility in stride and she is doing a great job with her two little daughters. I can't help but think of when I was a young mother and had two little daughters to take care of (remember the matching dresses, hahaha!) It's an awesome responsibility and calling to be a mother and I'm so proud of Jordan for shouldering it up and for taking it in stride. She was thrown a curve ball earlier this year, and she has adjusted well to that change in plans. She will continue to put her formidable skill set to work as she welcomes daughter number three into their family later this year. She and Jake are great parents.

I loved hearing Elder Ballard speak to young mothers last May in General conference. Here is his talk if you haven't read it lately. He gives such great council:

First, recognize that the joy of motherhood comes in moments. There will be hard times and frustrating times. But amid the challenges, there are shining moments of joy and satisfaction.
Second, don’t over schedule yourselves or your children.
Third, even as you try to cut out the extra commitments, sisters, find some time for yourself to cultivate your gifts and interests.
Fourth, pray, study, and teach the gospel.

Happy Birthday dear Jordan!

I love you.

International Art Exhibit

Last Thursday I went with the Cleofon club (the club I belong to with my mother-in-law, Pat) to see the 8th International Art Exhibit at the Conference Center in Salt Lake City. It was so inspiring and moving. It's entitled Remembering the Great Things of God. The pieces of art were varied in form and design and there were some truly beautiful pieces of art that were on display. The 2009 exhibit features 197 works selected from 1,089 entries representing a worldwide range of cultural traditions, styles and media. Artists from 44 countries submitted entries based on the theme. Check out the web site here and browse through the pieces. Use the arrow at the bottom to enter the exhibit and then you can scroll through the pieces that are listed alphabetically by the artists last name and click to zoom in on each piece. The mediums used to convey the Great Thing of God ranged from oil paintings to watercolor, quilts, fabric art, ceramic, pottery, metal design, wood carving and many more. If you get a chance to see it in person, it's on display in the Conference Center until October 11. If not, then enjoy the web site. It's very well done. They even had a weaving from a woman in Mongolia. I'm so impressed with people who use their talents to convey their beliefs through art.

Incredible Ellie

Jake and Ellie had a little adventure over the weekend. They flew up to attend the BYU - Florida game. Yeah, the game was lame, but the visit was great. Since Ellie isn't two yet, she got to come with her daddy and fly for free and I got to tend her during the game. I dare say that we had a better time than those who attended the game!

We played in the park, we had a tea party, read stories and played house. Here are the incredible things about Ellie...she is 21 months old and she:

runs into our arms when she sees us (which is amazing because we don't see her that often!) and hugs us

she doesn't cry when her parents leave

she loves to swing really high and she has no fear

she put her head on her arm and said "night, night" and actually wanted to take her nap

she went down for her nap with nary a whimper, only asking for "mommy song" and "daddy song" (which we later learned meant the songs that go "I love Mommy, she loves me..." and "I'm so glad when daddy comes home") She had to settle for "I am a child of God" and "I love to see the temple."

she speaks really well and can communicate what she wants and it's SO CUTE to hear her little voice

she had no problem taking her bath and getting her hair washed...no tears, no struggles even when I poured the water right over her head

AND the most incredible thing about her, she wanted to take her diaper off and wear her Dora under panties! She told me "poops gamma" and I took her to the potty and she did her business. More than once with success! WOW!!

Gampy loved rocking her to sleep and singing songs, telling stories and just holding little Ellie before putting her to bed. She is a precious granddaughter and we loved having her and Jake visit us.

Sold on soy

I'm sitting here eating a snack...a soy bean snack. Crazy, huh? A few weeks ago while we were visiting some of our neighbors, they went out into their gorgeous garden and pick some fresh soy beans and brought them in, steamed them and served them to us. I was skeptical. Now I'm sold. They were delicious!
When I was in AZ a few weeks ago, I noticed soy beans on the menu in the Asian restaurant we went to. I ordered them as an appetizer. I was sitting by little Ellie my granddaughter who is almost 2. She ate them up, one right after the other and asked for more.
So, I bought a box at Costco when I got home. They are found in the frozen food area by the frozen veggies. It cost $6 something for a huge box with 12 bags inside. That works out to be about 60 cents a bag or so. They are loaded with nutrition and you will find the box that says Edamame in the frozen food section. Edamame is a soybean that can be eaten fresh or frozen and is best known as a snack with a nutritional punch. Soy beans are picked before drying out and boiled (or microwaved) in water for a few minutes. The pods are soft and the bean can be removed by pulling through the teeth and lips. This is an ideal nutritious snack, far superior to junk food. Try them, you may like them. The cooked beans are frozen in their pods and can be heated up in 3 minutes. Just toss the heated beans with a little butter, some fresh ground salt and pepper and enjoy! The Chinese have been using soy beans for about 5000 years. How come I didn't know about this nutritious, high protein, low calorie snack food? Did you?

Calories	125.0
Protein	12.1
Carbohydrates	13.1
Fat	3.6
Ash	1.7
Calcium	9.3
Phosphorus	180.0
Iron	2.7
Sodium	5.0
Vitamin A	130.0
Vitamin U1	0.31
Vitamin C	40.0