It’s All About Family

I’ve been a bit out of commission lately—but it’s all good. My niece’s daughter got married and all of my seven kids gathered to help her celebrate. It was a great time. We also celebrated my oldest son’s birthday by going out to dinner and by having a nice family dinner at my daughter’s house the next day.

This is the bride and groom with the bride's maids.

This is a picture of my birthday boy.

My son and his wife and almost-three-year-old son came to stay with us for a while before they had to head back to Illinois. It was nice getting to make big meals and visit, but it wasn’t nearly long enough. Our time wasn’t without its drama though. Our little grandson was playing at the park and all of a sudden began screaming with pain. He hadn’t fallen, so we didn’t know what was wrong.



After a few hours, some Ibuprophen, and a call to the insurance company, they made a trip to the ER. Luckily it was a simple fix. His elbow had been semi-dislocated. All they did was give it a little tug and he was all better—until the next day, of course, when he put his hand on our cactus.

Here's the little guy with his cousin. He loved our trampoline.

He’s all boy, that one, and our short time together was reminiscent of my children when they were younger. It surely brought back memories of past trips to the ER for stitches, broken bones etc. etc. etc.



This next week is spring break and I’ll be spending my time playing catch-up. I need to catch up on my writing—I’ve got three articles waiting to be written and submitted, and a novel that needs finished. On my paintings, I’ve got two finished, one almost finished, one started (by started I mean sketched onto the paper) and a couple that I keep dreaming about.

We’ve got another wedding this Saturday. This one is the son of my husband’s niece. After that, break’s over and it’s time for the routine to start again.

This is our new gallery--painted to catch your eye from the highway. We're still working on the landscaping. Its official open house will be later this month. I’ll be giving a few watercolor workshops there and helping to work at the gallery.

Altar-ed Plans, by Rebecca Cornish Talley

It's been a while since my last post--occasionally life gets in the way of our best intentions. However, during my online absense, I read another good book.

I didn’t plan on enjoying Altar-ed Plans, by Rebecca Cornish Talley as much as I did. It sounded cute, but predictable. However, I soon discovered that although I knew the outcome of the first chapter when Caitlyn is on her way to the Los Angeles temple planning to marry her high school sweetheart, Justin—I still enjoyed the ride immensely. I felt a little sadistic enjoying her unsuspecting drive to the temple and chuckling about it.


Rebecca Talley immediately proves her writing expertise and throws in plot twists, and other situations as well that keep the reader wondering what will happen next. Caitlyn has a loving, but non-member father who resents not being able to see his oldest daughter get married—there’s Lindsay, the younger and more observant sister—and then there’s the mom who tries ever so desperately to keep everyone together and happy.

Good for Mom to insist Caitlyn immediately return to BYU after being jilted. She is already a student there, and needs to get on with her life. However, just because Caitlyn reluctantly returns and attends classes doesn’t mean she’s moved on. Far from it. She has done a good job of turning herself into a veritable hermit and emotionally Caitlyn is well on her way to becoming the weird aunt with ten cats and a parakeet when she meets Travis.

Things start to change for Caitlyn when the bishop calls her to be the “mom” of her Family Home Evening group—an activity she has never attended because it’s just too social. The “dad” of the group, Travis, doesn’t give her any time to back out or to even think before she is attracted to him.

As much as Caitlyn likes Travis, and as often as Brittany tells her to give him a chance—Travis does cause Caitlyn more heartbreak. He’s too nice of a guy and has a hard time making a clean break with his longtime friend/girlfriend. It soon becomes clear that Alison—the other girl, is more of a stalker/fatal attraction type of gal. It’s just not normal behavior to put a wedding dress on layaway if you’ve not been asked the ‘big’ question. Alison is relentless and undiscouraged by Travis’s apparent disinterest and makes plans to marry him even if she has to propose herself.

Altar-ed Plans also does a good job of showing the importance of good friends with Caitlyn’s roommates, Brittany and Hannah. Brittany, although she compares guys to a salad bar, is good at getting Caitlyn away from the sofa and encouraging her to have faith and to trust again. Caitlyn, with her experience is able to give valuable and personal insight to Hannah when she becomes serious with a non-LDS young man.

Although Caitlyn didn’t want it to happen, nor did she ever dream it would, toward the end of the novel there are two eligible men waiting on bended knee. So, if you’re interested in a fun, upbeat story that’s all about the race to the altar, this is the perfect novel. It’s just full of twenty-somethings waiting for their chance at wedded bliss.

The Quintessential Chicken Salad Sandwich

I've neglected my post this week because my fourth son got married. After his mission, he didn't want anything to do with living at home--he rented an apartment and stayed closely attached to his high school sweetheart. This is the fifth wedding in our family, and you'd think I'd have it figured out by now--or be more relaxed. Now I know why I was sent five sons instead of five daughters. I have two daughters, and only one of them still needs marrying off, and that won't be for a few years yet. (That's my sigh of relief.)

Here's a recipe that I always get compliments on, and I've served it at my last two weddings--once for my daughter's reception, then recently for a family luncheon to get acquainted with the newest additions to our family. You can either use cooked chicken or turkey with equally good results.

The Quintessential Chicken Salad Sandwich

6 lb. boneless skinless chicken breast (boiled and cubed)
1-2 lb bacon, chopped, cooked and drained (I use real pre-cooked bacon bits)
2 small cans of smoke house almonds, chopped
2 bunches celery, chopped fine
1 qt mayonnaise & ¾ C. lemon juice—mix and pour over other ingredients
Chill and serve on rolls or croissants

It’s a sandwich with more flare and flavor than ordinary chicken and mayo. Add a scoop to a croissant, and you’ve got the perfect luncheon fare for a wedding, bridge group, or something simple to impress the in-laws.

I’ve had this recipe for over 5 years, and I’ve never made it without compliments and requests for the recipe. It’s especially easy when using the real, pre-cooked bacon bits. The almonds give it—mmmm, it’s making me hungry just writing about it. My preference is a simple dinner roll—I don’t need a fancy croissant—just give me the basics.