Words to Live By

 

...remembering our friend Jason, who passed away this week. He was a light to those around him;
he always made us smile and made this world a better place. We miss you.

Snowbirdies

 

On the last day of Grammy's visit, we wanted to do something exciting, out of the ordinary, and unique to our area. We decided to visit the Snowbird ski resort and ride the tram to Hidden Peak, 11,000 feet up. (Yep, those are three zeros.)

Everyone was excited, the day was perfect -- sunny and clear. I must toot my own horn here, and tell you what a superhero I am. I have a problem with heights. Especially heights that move. Ferris wheels, roller coasters....um, ya. I've had three year olds mock me. It's not pretty.

I am not a party pooper, however, and had a plan for silently freaking out on the floor of the tram, where I couldn't see the view. I was good to go.

The tram started, and I waited for the panicky feeling.....waited....hmmm! Nothing!

The ride was buttery smooth (maybe that had something to do with it) and the only time I felt a "yikes!" coming on was when we swooshed by the giant towers holding the cables up.

I found out a little later I wasn't the only one bringing issues. Grammy was nervous, but never really let on. Looking back at the pictures now, I can see that she was "white-knuckling" it...

We went higher and higher and higher; even passing other mountain peaks!

We turned around and tried to find where we had started from. Holy cow!

When we turned around again, we were there, and the view from 11,000 feet is a.maz.ing. Like, on top of the world amazing!

Check out the view of the Salt Lake Valley below...

Here's our Sweet Girl capturing the view, too. I love this shot.

 

 

 

 

Mr. H and I must've took one too many pictures -- our daughter and Grammy had already boarded the tram for the return trip down, but we had to run for it, and barely made it!

 

 

The funniest thing about our adventure was that Grammy and I had delayed reactions -- we were woozy and lost our "sea legs" after the trip. I guess that would be better than during, huh?

So, I can check off  "climbed an 11,000 foot mountain" off my list. Sign me up for that kind of mountain climbing, anytime! Glad that the Sweet Girl got in a summer adventure, despite her very boring summer of health issues and recovery. We love the pictures we got while we were up there --we're still pulling 'em out and enjoying them.

So glad we did it!

Seriously?!?

So, end of a long day and we're ordering a pizza...

...from the place down the street from our house. We figure out what we want and call the local number ...

...which connects in INDIA.

Are you kidding me?

Outsourcing is already a sore spot with me and all our job troubles...

...but ordering a pizza from a neighborhood joint??!?

Seriously?!?

Bye-bye Pizza Hut.

Snow in August

For reals. 

But you have to go to Snowbird with your family.

Then take a tram up to 11,000 feet.

Stand on top of a mountain.

And look real hard.

But it's there.

Snow in August.

Words to Live By

 
Grandmas are moms with lots of frosting. 

                                                                              ~Author Unknown

Very much enjoying our visit with 'Grammy'. She is one of our very favorite people!  ♥

Wicked Good Peanut Butter Bars

I'm sorry.... I've been sitting here for 5 minutes trying to give an accurate name to these "you-are-so-good-you-are-trouble" peanut butter bars we made recently. I'm pretty disciplined when it comes to watching what I eat, but I lost *all* control with these babies!  Should I open this Pandora's box and unleash its power on you?  Hey -- if I have to suffer, I want company. So here's the recipe.  I dare you to stop at one bar. 

Good luck.

.

Makeover Peanut Butter Bars

5 points per bar (including the PB layer AND the frosting. oh yeah.)

.

1  3/4 cups reduced-fat creamy peanut butter, divided

1/3 cup butter, softened

1 cup packed brown sugar

3/4 cup sugar

2 eggs

1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 cups all-purpose flour

2 cups quick-cooking oats

1 teaspoon baking soda

.

FROSTING:

4  1/2 cups confectioner's sugar

1/3 cup fat-free milk

1/4 cup baking cocoa

1/4 cup butter, softened

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

 

1. In a large bowl, cream 1 cup peanut butter, the butter, brown sugar and sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in applesauce and vanilla. Combine the flour, oats and baking soda; gradually add to creamed mixture and mix well (batter will be thick).

2.  Spread into a 15x10 inch baking pan coated with cooking spray. Bake at 350° F for 18 to 22 minutes or until lightly browned. Cool on a wire rack for 10 minutes; spread with remaining peanut butter. Cool to room temperature, then refrigerate for 30 minutes.

3.  In a large bowl, beat frosting ingredients until light and fluffy. Spread over the peanut butter layer. Cut into bars.

 

picture credit: Healthy Cooking magazine, June/July 2009 issue, p. 26

original recipe: Lori Stevens

Guest Room Reboot, Part 1

Our Sweet Girl continues to improve. The big issue to deal with now is her doing too much. (that's a good problem, right?) She pays for it at the end of the day, though, when her body reminds her that she's still a girl recovering from bone surgery. Ouch. She's missed out on friends and fun all summer -- I can't really blame her too much. In fact, I feel the same way... lots to do!

I've been feeling like someone woke me up and said -- you overslept! School starts in 3 weeks! Mr. H's mom will be here this week! How come you're not ready?!? ACK!! The Sweet Girl's health issues have eaten up most of the summer and our attention. Now, all of the sudden, getting back to real life is here and in our face.

One of the first things we did around here was to "reboot" the guest room -- from 'recovery room' back to guest room. Mr. H's mom will be here in a matter of days, and we needed to get things ready for her. More pictures of the overall project soon, but I'll share a little before and after project we did in there last week...

I've got an Americana theme going on in there, and needed some artwork for the walls. I also needed to keep it on the cheap --

 

my old Susan Winget calendar to the rescue!

A couple of white matte frames with mats included on sale?
Hey, I've got a coupon, too! Sweet!

Okay, looking pretty good, but I need more color....

Spray paint to the rescue...ACK!! That looks bright blue! Oh well.
Let's see what it looks like after a couple more coats....Press on!

Oh yeah. Dat's what I'm talkin' about.
What do you think?