Heartistic Desires

Posted By Cori on February 16, 2010

This has been a busy, busy week at our house. February 10th through the 16th is always busy at our house. We have several celebrations beginning with Garret’s birthday on the 10th and ending with our anniversary on the 16th. Somewhere in there is Valentine’s Day, right? And the week often includes President’s Day which produces a 3-day weekend.

Lovely, lovely time of life!

For Garret’s birthday we went to Costco for lunch. I know that sounds a bit odd, but it’s tradition. At the same time the three of us were having lunch at Costco in Utah, my Mom, Nikaela, Gid and Bela were having lunch at Costco in AZ. It was fun knowing we were doing the same thing at the same time.

“I see the moon (sun), the moon (sun) sees me, the moon (sun) sees somebody I’d like to see…”

Anyway, then we did a little shopping. Nothing big, just some time in town together.

Over the week, Amalie and I did a little baking/cooking. Of course, it’s not Valentine’s Day without decorated sugar cookies.

And the joy of having Amalie here to help me decorate this year was not lost on either of us. Or Garret. So grateful.

Then I got a bit antsy and had to experiment with candies. First I made Martha’s meringues from the February Living mag. There was a lot of rain the day I made these, so they didn’t ’set’ as well as they could have. Still, they look really cute! And they were super simple and quick (except for oven time – overnight). They taste a little like cotton candy. Very fun.

Then I got to experimenting with Divinity. There is a reason these are called Divinity! Divine!!!

I added about a tablespoon or two of red hots to the syrup while it was heating so that I would achieve a subtle cinnamon flavor and a nice pink hue. So fun! And completely yummy. Definitely a do again!

Finally I made chocolate-dipped peanut butter balls. Always have to have something peanut butter and chocolate.

At this point I was thinking, “Who’s gonna eat all this???”

On Valentine’s Day we ended up doing something really fun after Church. We ate lunch and then settled in the living room. Garret got out our love letters from our engagement/newlywed days and Amalie proceeded to read them out loud for the next few hours. Every word on every scrap of paper. It was crazy! And a wonderful way to look back and remember who we were and where we thought we were going. Some of it was fun, some a bit sad, and some a little embarrassing to have your 20-year old daughter reading out loud! But it was so much fun and we decided it should be a tradition. Not every year, but on biggies like the 25th or the 30th, etc. Lots of memories and a good reminder of why we fell in love in the first place. We used to be pretty spicy! Time to bring it back.

And then today. The big 2 – 5. Silver. Quarter of a century. A long time to be crazy about each other.

Amalie woke us up to a lovely breakfast party with friends. We have so many blessings in our lives right now and one of my favorites is our friends. We have been embraced, loved, encouraged and accepted like never before in our lives. We have felt like we were ‘home’ from almost the first moment we were here. And our friends feel like life-long friends, not people we just met a year ago. Kindred Spirits. Dear Souls. It was so lovely to celebrate with these special people.

And so I will close with a little reminder about why it’s so important to love someone. Garret and I are best friends. And at times, that is what has gotten us through. There were times that weren’t so good. Times when we could have walked away and it would have been ‘easier’. There were times when it felt like the bitter would never go away.

But it did.

And now our relationship is stronger than it could have been without those moments. There is opposition in all things and we wouldn’t be able to recognize the good, if we hadn’t seen the bad. Or the wonderful if we hadn’t seen the terrible. If you’ve got a good foundation, it’s worth it to stick it out and see what each other becomes on the other side. As long as you’re both trying, trials really do make you a better couple.

And, I think, you get better looking as time goes by.

All I can say is…

Category: Food, Musings | 5 Comments »
Tags: anniversary, birthday, blessings, candy, divinity, Family, Food, joy, love, martha stewart, sugar cookies

Posted By Cori on February 9, 2010

I’m amazed to think that we have been in Utah for one whole year now. I’m reminded of that old adage, “The days go by like weeks and the weeks go by like days.” I have yet to update you on the holidays in my life, but I can’t help but feel as though this day is a celebration of more significance for me this year. So many lessons. There were heartbreaks and great joys. And, as is usually the case, some of those were combined into the same moments.

I hope you won’t think me negative if I focus today on what I miss most.

1. My Family. We left behind two daughters, one son-in-law (do I HAVE to add the ‘in-law’ part??), two grandchildren, parents, siblings, nieces and nephews, etc. People we had grown accustomed to spending much of our days with. I would give almost anything to open the door and have my little grandchildren standing there with a huge smile on their faces knowing they were ’surprising’ us.

2. The Inconvenient Phone Calls: Often (a few times a week) we would get a call from our married daughter requesting a ride to or from someplace (with the grandkids in tow, of course). These ‘rides’ more often than not turned into the ride, a stop at Sonic for ‘chitten’, playtime at the park, and ‘hanging-out’ at our house until the grandkids’ Daddy got home from work. It was exhausting! And completely wonderful. I made every effort to enjoy it at the time, and I would give almost anything to have it back.

3. Bear. This was one of the most unruly, hyperactive, disobedient dogs I have ever loved. The one word that defines Bear is ‘love’. He loved his family (us) SO much, that when we spent any time with him he would go completely ballistic! Which made it hard to get excited about spending any time with him. And he didn’t handle the little kids well at all. He was too excited and would knock them down every time. But he had the most wonderful blue eyes and soft fur (that shed year round *urgh*), and he loved playing in the water with Garret. And his birthday was on Christmas day, and I cried a little when I thought of him. I hope your new home is a happy one, Bear. We love you so much!

4. My Flower Beds. I love growing flowers! I was truly not at peace until I knew my flowers were in for the season. A couple of times life got busy and we would be late getting them in and I would look out my front window and sigh until Garret got me to Home Depot. I didn’t make it a goal, but somehow my flower beds became the talk of the neighborhood. People would tell me how they would change their driving route so they could drive past our house and see my flowers. That gave me such joy! I will put in flowers this year at our rental, but I have no idea what to expect. My Flower Beds had a plan. Last time I saw them, they were full of weeds.

5. Our House. This was nothing special, as far as structures go. As a matter-of-fact, it was a bit too small and was poorly laid out. There was no storage – at all. The back porch was poorly made and the house was a yucky mustard color we never quite got around to painting. But, for nine years it was ours. And we could do whatever we wanted with it. We took the yard from overgrown, pack-rat infested (seriously), desert landscaping, to grass, trees, bushes, and flowers. Oh, and the trees were a gift from a friend. I helped him assemble his life story and he gave me two beautiful ash trees. And a couple years later, my friend passed away. The trees were sticks when he put them in; teen-agers when we left. I wanted to take them with us.

There are so many memories associated with that house! Our girls were 13 and 9 the day we moved in. We were empty-nesters when we moved out. The rooms were full of voices: music and laughter and tears. We had family dinners and parties there. We sat out on the front porch we had made with our own hands and played with our kids and grandkids and talked to neighbors for hours on end and welcomed hundreds of Trick-or-Treaters. People knew us and would stop by to visit or just honk as they drove past. Friends left gifts at Christmas or birthdays on our doorstep.

It was Our House. And I miss it terribly.

We are in a new place now, with new friends and new stores, etc. We feel incredibly blessed to be where we are right now. We know that because of all our losses, we have what we have now. It’s hard to argue with God’s will; He really does know what’s best for us.

Category: Homemaking | 3 Comments »
Tags: bear, children, dog, Family, friends, Gardening, grandchildren, gratitude, home, Homemaking, love, peace

Posted By Cori on January 27, 2010

My friend Coretta makes the cutest little tatted headwear that she sells as Tatties, and at a very reasonable price, I might add. Tatting is a disappearing art that I think should not disappear! There are so many lovely and fun possibilities with tatting.

My Great-Grandma Mae tatted beautifully and endlessly, I understand. Since she passed away before I was born, I would often ask my Grandma Eddie about her mother. Grandma Eddie mentioned several times how Grandma Mae’s hands would fly when she worked her tatting shuttle. Grandma Eddie showed me one of her mother’s tatting shuttles and it intrigued me. I instantly wanted to learn this art, but no one in my family had learned how. I asked several yarn- and thread-crafty people over the years, but either never found someone who knew how, or didn’t take advantage of their tatting skills before I or they moved on.

Finally here in Little Town, Utah, I ran across Coretta who always had an adorable Tattie on her baby girl’s head. Oh! They were so cute! I asked Coretta if she would be willing to teach me tatting and she said yes!

So far we’ve had one 2 1/2 hour session in which I learned three basic concepts. With those skills I made these:

I’m so happy! Cute little tatted fish! I haven’t seen any other pattern that I can do so far, but I am happy making fish while I learn picots and closing rings. These three little fishies aren’t near the quality they need to be to call myself a ‘Real Tatter,’ but I feel like I’m making progress and that makes me so happy.

I’m also doing a lot of crocheting. My daughter Amalie started her own crocheted accessories business and I’ve been working with her on a big order. I really appreciate this opportunity to help her because it’s been forcing me to dig deep and work on perfecting my own stitches. I have a tendency to be very loose in my stitches and with this I just can’t be!

Besides, I can’t argue with the chance to sit in my warm house drinking hot cocoa and crocheting while the snow falls outside. Beautiful.

I also made a new blanket for my Great Niece Livy. She wore out the one I made for her when she was born. I tried to make the new one a bit sturdier, but still soft. I hope she likes it enough to trade in the old “lankie” for it.

HeARTistically yours!

Category: Arts & Crafts | 5 Comments »
Tags: Amalie, crochet, projects, tatting

Posted By Cori on January 14, 2010

Last night I made Macaroni and Cheese and it turned out so perfect looking I just couldn’t resist taking a picture or two and sharing my recipe. Which is pretty basic, but simply divine. I love experimenting with different kinds of cheeses, but didn’t have much to work with last night. It still turned out great and we have left-overs – YUM!

Comfort Mac and Cheese

2 C. macaroni
3 Tbs. butter
1/4 C. finely chopped onion
3 Tbs. all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
2 C. milk
2 C. grated or cubed cheese

Preheat oven to 350º. Cook macaroni about one minute shy of the package directions (still a bit firm); drain. In a saucepan, melt butter and add onion; cook until soft but not browned. Whisk in flour, salt and pepper. Add milk all at once; cook, stirring occasionally, until thickened and bubbly. Add cheese; stir until melted.

Stir macaroni into cheese sauce and stir until well mixed. Add more salt and pepper to taste. Pour into a 2-qt. casserole. If you like, you can arrange sliced tomatoes on top and lightly salt. Bake in 350º oven for 35 minutes, or until a light brown crust forms on top.

I really like to add a mixture of cheeses. My favorite so far is mostly sharp cheddar with some Gruyère and a little mozzarella – so good. But I have even used just cheddar and jack and it’s been great. And we like to make it in a casserole that’s more wide than deep because everyone likes the crusty cheese bits! We also have some who like tomato cooked on top and some who don’t, so we do both.

My best to you!

Category: Food | 1 Comment »
Tags: cheese, comfort, Food, macaroni and cheese

Posted By Cori on January 12, 2010

Trust me…

you want to check out the give-away on this site:

AmalieMaren

This girl makes the cutest stuff and is such a fun person to boot!

I may be biased, but I’m not dumb.

Tell her Cori sent ya!

Heartistically yours…

Category: Musings | 1 Comment »
Tags: referral

Posted By Cori on January 7, 2010

Welcome to the New Year!

Yes, I am a bit slow this year. And I had plans for many lovely posts during the holidays that just did not materialize. As I told my Journal this morning, “I was too busy living life to write about it.”

Sorry excuse, but it will have to do.

To start 2010, I have been doing much in the way of reflection and pondering. I, like most of us, have need of change and growth in my life. Some things I am good at; many things I am not.

I wanted to share with you some of my favorite meditations. Everyone morning I linger in bed a few moments before the day gets too hectic. (ok, most mornings; life does have a way of needling it’s way in at times.) I take a moment to ponder the day ahead: What would I like to accomplish? What would God have me accomplish? Are they the same things? Can I align them to find greater peace?

I take a few minutes to ponder and pray for guidance and direction and peace and courage. Most of my days take a great deal of courage at this phase in my life!

And I read a few paragraphs from two of my favorite books: the Scriptures and “Simple Abundance: A Daybook of Comfort and Joy” by Sarah Ban Breathnach. Many of you have your own Holy Writ, so I will not elaborate on that except to say that when I read a few words of ancient wisdom each morning, I am more centered and more in tune with the Universe around me. I see more clearly the path I am on and the path I should be on. I recognize my gifts and show gratitude for them.

As for “Simple Abundance,” my sister gave me this book for Christmas in 2001, and I have loved it since. Ms. Ban Breathnach gives daily bits of wisdom and courage to help us find ourselves. Some days she gets a bit more mystical, some days very practical. But each day gives a greater vision of our possibilities. The only suggestion I would make is that the book is divided into daily musings and monthly “Simplicities,” or suggestions for things to do each month. The Simplicities are listed at the end of each month’s musings. Now that I know this, I read them before the first of each month so that I can prepare any activities for the current month. But give it a try and let me know what you think.

Also, just for fun, Tyler at WhitePages.com wrote to me not long ago to let me know about a site they’re developing. It’s Names and can be a lot of fun to mess with. I think especially if your trying to find a name for your new baby or just have a curiosity about names, it would be interesting to check out. Make sure you check on “Name Facts” instead of “Contact Info” in the top box and then explore away.

So that’s it for me today. My best to each of you in the coming year!

Category: Musings | 2 Comments »
Tags: blessings, books, Faith, Homemaking, joy, meditations, peace, scripture, simple abundance

Posted By Cori on December 17, 2009

This is the view out my front window. Beautiful. Majestic. Inspiring. Peaceful.

Just what I need right now in my life.

This mountain has became everything that it is today because of the harshness of it’s past. It’s not the tallest mountain, or the most beautiful, or the most rugged, or the most… anything, really. But it is all that God wants it to be. This mountain fills the measure of it’s creation.

My goal in life is to do the same.

Category: Musings | 5 Comments »
Tags: courage, Faith, mountains, peace

Posted By Cori on December 14, 2009

Today is my youngest’s 20th birthday. Amalie is 20. No more teenagers.

Weird.

I don’t feel like the Mom of two adult children.

Not that I mind. Aging has not yet bothered me. I figure as long as I keep telling myself I’m not old, I won’t ever get there. And every birthday I have on this planet is… a birthday I have on this planet surrounded by those I love. Why would I not celebrate that?

But it’s just still a shock to me to be “done” raising children. I had expected to have more like four to six kids. I had expected to be a full-time Mom for much more of my adult life. But, here I am. At 45 (no, I don’t care if people know how old – or young – I am) without an active-parent roll to occupy my time.

It’s time to move on. And to figure out what that means to me.

In the mean time, I want to celebrate my beautiful daughter, Amalie, whose birthday it is.

She is priceless. The last couple of years for Amalie have been fraught with challenges that she chooses to see as “opportunities”. That doesn’t mean that she doesn’t hurt, or even cry over the hand that has been dealt. But it does mean that she chooses a joyful life.

Amalie is compassionate. Since she was just a toddler, the sight of a homeless person or someone in need can make her cry. She loves any chance to help others. She even stretches the truth about her weight so that she can donate blood!

Amalie is talented. She is an artist in every sense of the word. She has an eye for color, for composition. She can hear and recognize art in almost any form of music or in the sound of her niece’s and nephew’s voices (who, by the way, adore her and call her “TAM-alie”). She crochets, does photography, processes photographs, designs incredible memory pages, is artful with her make-up and clothing choices, can bake well, etc., etc.

Amalie is beautiful. Inside and out. She has a tremendous sense of style that compliments the beauty within. One of Amalie’s favorite blogs is a woman name Kandee who is a make-up artist and has emerged from some serious challenges. Kandee describes us as mirrors that reflect light. Poignantly, the mirrors that reflect the most light, are the cracked or broken ones. And there are no perfect mirrors. We all have cracks and breaks. Amalie uses hers to shine light onto all around her.

I am grateful for my beautiful daughter Amalie. For the way she handles tough times as well as good. I’m grateful that she is here with us at this time choosing a path that is extremely hard, but – in the end – the best for her.

And, in addition, her favorite cake is Texas Sheet Cake. And YUM! I am SO grateful for that!

Texas Sheet Cake

2 C. sugar
2 C. flour
1/2 tsp. salt
1 C. butter (“You can never, have too much, BUTTER!” What’s that from folks?)
1 C. water
1/3 C. cocoa
1/2 C. buttermilk or sour cream
2 eggs
1 tsp. baking soda

In a large mixing bowl, sift together sugar, flour and salt. In a medium saucepan bring butter, water and cocoa to a boil. As soon as it boils, remove from heat and add to dry ingredients (I have been known to bring to a boil in the microwave with great success). Add buttermilk and combine. Add eggs and baking soda and mix until well blended (I always just use a whisk rather than drag out my beaters). Batter will be thin. Pour into a greased 11 x 17 pan. (Many people use a jelly-roll pan. We don’t like the cake that thin and I feel it dries out the cake. But a 9 x 13 is too small.) Bake at 350º for 25 minutes.

Prepare frosting:

1/3 C. milk or canned milk
1/2 C. cocoa
1 C. butter (“You can never…)
2 – 3 C. chopped nuts, if desired
1 lb. powdered sugar (3 – 3/4 C.)
1 tsp. vanilla

In a medium saucepan, bring milk, cocoa and butter to a boil, stirring regularly. Stir in nuts, if desired. Stirring constantly, add powdered sugar and vanilla until smooth. Spread over hot cake.

Cori’s Notes: I always add a bit more cocoa than the recipe calls for. And after I pour the frosting over the top, I pull the edges of the cake in a bit with a large spatula so that some of the frosting drips – no pours – onto the sides. Almost essential to have vanilla ice cream with this cake because it is SO UNBELIEVABLY RICH!!!

Enjoy!

And…

Happy Birthday, my Sweet Amalie!!

Category: Food, Musings | 1 Comment »
Tags: blessings, children, chocolate, Family, Food, gratitude, joy, love, Texas Sheet cake

Posted By Cori on December 12, 2009

This past week our AZ daughter, Nikaela, and her sweet family came for a visit. We had so much fun! One whole week of great adult conversation. One whole week of snuggling Grandbabies. One whole week of big breakfasts, visiting fun sights, watching movies and eating popcorn. What a wonderful Christmas Gift!

We were sad to see them go, but it would have been a lot harder if not for knowing that we will shortly be visiting them for the holidays. I am amazed, though, at how bad I miss them sometimes. This has been the hardest part of moving to UT.

Today we are busy cleaning up “Angel Tracks,” as Garret calls them.

Beautiful little reminders that we love and are loved in return.

Category: Musings | 3 Comments »
Tags: blessings, children, Family, grandchildren, gratitude, joy, love

Posted By Cori on December 3, 2009

Ahh! Breakfast in the winter months is so comforting! I love to make hot breakfasts, but don’t always have a lot of time. Not long ago, I shared my ‘quick’ recipe for Good Morning Oatmeal. Now I’d like to add Doughnut Drops. The original recipe for these came in a Pillsbury cookbook I got some time ago. It’s one of my favorites and totally dog-eared and splattered. And, apparently, out of print because I have searched for a replacement for four years and cannot find it. If I had known how valuable this particular cookbook would have become to me, I would have laminated every page!

My biggest trick for getting hot breakfasts on the table fast is to make a mix out of the recipe. Usually that involves little more than measuring all the dry ingredients for a recipe into baggies, labeling them, and adding a note about what I need to complete the recipe. Basically you ‘make’ the recipe once and enjoy it five more times!

To make Doughnut Drops mixes gather your supplies: whole wheat flour (if using), all-purpose flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg. You’ll also need five quart baggies and five sandwich baggies (or number of your choice). When you’re ready to make the Doughnut Drops you’ll also need: milk, oil, vanilla, an egg, and oil for frying.

Another quick tip I’d like to share: I like to keep a 1/2 cup measuring cup in my sugar. Most of the time sugar is measured in either 1/2 cups or whole cups, so this little trick saves me a lot of trouble. It’s a good idea, too, to keep a 1 cup measure in your flour. I bought an inexpensive set at the grocer for using this way.

I always create my mixes while I’m already cooking the recipe I’m working on. That way I only get out all the ingredients once for every six times I make them. Also, I like to use whole wheat flour that I have ground myself for up to half the flour called for in recipes. Here I have used 1/2 whole wheat flour and 1/2 all-purpose. I use white wheat for most of my general baking but keep some red wheat on hand for use in breads.

I start by setting up a large plastic container with five pre-labeled baggies. Fold over the tops of the baggies to make it easier to add ingredients. It’s a good idea to have a “pattern” in mind to help you remember which bag you’ve added what to. Especially if you’re working ‘in-the-round’ like I am here. I also have five smaller baggies for the cinnamon-sugar mixture to dip the doughnuts in.

Now I have five ready-to-go mixes that I just have to add a couple of things to and fry up. So easy!

And I’ve got one bowl ready to add the wet ingredients to so we can have Doughnut Drops this morning.

Using my medium cookie scoop makes the perfect sized balls of dough to drop into the pre-heated oil. And it only takes one hand, which is safer and faster. I’m all about quick and easy!

Fry the doughnuts for a couple of minutes on each side.

They should turn themselves over when they need to be, but keep an eye on them and turn them with a slotted spoon, if you need to. We want them to be golden brown and done all the way through, but not burned.

So easy and SO good! I dip most of ours in cinnamon-sugar, but we keep a few plain. We glazed them a time or two, and that’s good also.

Doughnut Drops

Oil for frying
3/4 C. all purpose flour (or 1 1/2 C. if not using whole wheat flour, too)
3/4 C. whole wheat flour
1/3 C. sugar
2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 tsp. nutmeg
1/2 C. milk (I use skim with excellent results)
2 Tbs. oil
1/2 tsp. vanilla
1 egg
1/2 C. sugar
1 tsp. cinnamon

To make mixes: Label quart baggies with “Doughnut Drops” and amounts for ingredients needed to complete mix (milk, 2 Tbs. oil, vanilla and egg). Also set up an equal number of sandwich baggies for cinnamon-sugar coating. Fold over tops of baggies and stabilize in an upright position to fill. To each quart baggie, add flour(s), 1/3 C. sugar, baking powder, salt, 1/4 tsp. cinnamon and nutmeg. To each sandwich baggie add: 1/2 C. sugar and 1 tsp. cinnamon. Seal all baggies and store for future use.

To make Doughnut Drops:

In a large saucepan, heat 2 to 3 inches oil to 375º. Empty contents of one quart baggie into a medium bowl and contents of one sandwich baggie into a small bowl. To the Doughnut Drop mix in the medium bowl, add 1/2 C. milk, 2 Tbs. oil, 1/2 tsp. vanilla and 1 egg; mix well. When oil is heated, drop five or six doughnuts into hot oil and fry for 2 to 3 minutes per side to a deep golden brown. Doughnuts should turn themselves when ready, but check occasionally. Drain on paper towels. Roll warm Doughnut Drops in cinnamon-sugar mixture in small bowl.

Enjoy!!

Category: Food | 2 Comments »
Tags: breakfast, cinnamon, doughnuts, Food, mixes