Escaping Vegas

Last Friday and Saturday was spent in beautiful St. George. I love that place.

Friday was a wedding of our friends' son in the St. George temple and the rest of the day was spent in Santa Clara "doing food." Parmesan Chicken and Italian meatballs for 200. Karl and another friend, Karl spent the evening "bar tending"...making Italian sodas as fast as they could. It was fun. I always love the challenge of feeding the masses. Unfortunately I didn't pause long enough to take any pictures...for that I am sorry because Karl & Karl were hilarious!

Friday night was spent at the cozy "Hartley Bed & Breakfast"
Definitely a 5-star accommodations! Ann & Phil even waited up for us.
And in the morning we were treated to wonderful omelets and oatmeal bread for breakfast (gotta get that bread recipe) . Thanks...you're lucky we ever left!

Then we went exploring with Ann & Phil.

We went for a great little hike.
It was beautiful, but...
just as we were returning and in sight of the car the wind whipped up, the temperature dropped and ominous clouds blew in. Soon it was raining, then sleeting, then hailing.
So what can ya' do then?

Eat!

Cookin' a mean burger

Jake & Steph had leftovers from their party Saturday night ...so they came over Sunday
to delight our taste buds with Jake's culinary skills. Mmmmmm Good.

New Toy... No Tree

Last week Karl went to Home Depot unsupervised...and he came home with a new toy/tool that he didn't think he could live with out.
A reciprocating saw. So Saturday he put his new toy to test.
It did make short work of a tree that had gotten too big for it's spot
and was messing up our block wall and gate.

He was able to dismantle the tree
into a little firewood and two garbage cans of twigs
...amazing.

Most of the rest of the day was spent pruning the apricot tree, pomegranate and rose bushes.
I think this tiny Vegas yard takes as much time as our Pasco acre.

Welcome to Spring,
Love, Mom T.

A touch of culture in our lives...

I've been wanting to see this for a long time. Finally the price and the timing aligned.

Dinner and the theater...awesome evening!

Signs of Spring

I do love Vegas in February and March

when much of the rest of the country is still dealing with cold and dreary winter.Popcorn is starting to pop on the Apricot Tree

(but this is actually the flowering plum)

New crop of peas, onions and spinach

Peas that we are eating off of now
Tomato plants waiting to be set out.

My little bunch of tulips coming up.

A lone African Daisy getting a jump on the others.

Like little disoriented squirrels

we are stashing away for the future...in the Spring?My first jars of pickled asparagus. Now I do a few jars at a time unlike Pasco years when I would go to the farmers market and get 15 lbs. or get it right from the farmer and do it all in one day.
Dried apples
...just drying what's left of the four boxes I bought in November.
They are so good even when the apples are past their prime.
We'll be munching these on our next hike...if they last that long.

I got a bag of beautiful parsley from a friend's garden to use as garnish at a wedding reception on last Saturday and I couldn't let the leftovers go to waste...so I dried it.

Anybody need dried parsley...I've got plenty.

A Mom Tobler Staple

at least when it's cold outside and it's been chilly here in Vegas.

For Rachel...here it is as requested...well kind of
...you have to go to my Kitchen Blog for the recipe.

Enjoy!
Chicken Noodle soup

It's scientifically proven to cure whatever ails you.

Grandpa Palmer

When I saw this photo of Clark with Grampa (well kind of)... I realized it was 13 years ago today that Grampa Palmer died. I don't know which is more of a Palmer Family icon... Gramma or Grampa.

Grampa was kind of gruff on the exterior...a man of few words, but his family was important to him. He taught his kids, by example and practice, practical life skills.. how to fix it, build it or make do with what you had. He was a collector of nuts, bolts, car parts and old machinery so that when he needed a part or pipe he could find what he needed (or something that would work) somewhere on the farm.
His favorite places to shop...the auction and the classifieds. The local "dump" was also a great place to find just what you needed..."the good things people just throw away!" Our family joke was that was that we'd come back from a trip to the dump with more than we took. Dad taught us life skills, and I thinks we learned them well.

Gramp Palmer was the big push behind the infamous Palmer Reunions. One year he dammed off a ditch and stocked it with trout (a lot of trout) so the grand kids could fish. Numerous years he supplied the reunion with a soda fountain. Unlimited soda. Oh how the grand kids loved it, so Grampa loved doing it. And every year there was the money jar...the change (plus a few bills) he had collected during the year. Everyone would try to guess the amount to win it. But most of the time he just sat back and watched all the activities...happy to see his family together again.

When my dad (Grampa Palmer) died I stay with my mom for a couple weeks. During that time together we designed Grampa's headstone. One that he would appreciate. He wasn't a temple going man...wasn't a church goin' fellow either... though there were a few times that he tried to be. So the very common "temple-on-the-headstone" just didn't fit. But the farm was important. The old piece of machinery...yep there was plenty of that! He also raised pigs for many years so we had to make sure that there were a few of those represented. And if you look really close on the far right hand side, there's an outhouse. That may be more for Gramma...but Grampa would have like it.

Thanks Gramps for showing us how to live the "Good Life".

Improving our Food Storage

Karl's idea of provident living.
17.5 lbs...I'm not sure if we have enough.

I've been spending alot of time here

(I do all my sewing on a 35+ year old sewing machine...I love those old machines)
...working on this and many other alterations for an upcoming wedding.
(Note a couple $5.00 mirrors Steph and I found yard saling the other week
...love those yard sales.)
Running into a few mind stretching challenges
(i.e. how to bustle a train from a sloping dropped waistline
and have it hang symmetrical)
and loving it.
And of course listening to my country music while I'm working.

R-rated?

Guess who's still stiff and sore from snowboarding?

Snowboarding update

...the old man survived the mountain. He had a good time, but he missed boarding with his boys!

Happy Memories

Karl went snowboarding today with his nephew Bill and his three boys. He's only gone snowboarding one other time since we moved here to Las Vegas and that was about 5 years ago. He was excited to try it again...to see if he could still "strut his stuff." Pulling out the old snowboard stuff was a trip down memory lane...those wonderful years when all the boys were home. When we'd make waffles at 6:00 am for the boys and their friends so they could be on the mountain by 9:00....as soon as Bluewood opened the lifts. The boys would buy the lift tickets and get Karl the senior discount. Getting chocolate milk and jojos at the Quicky Mart in Dayton on the way home. The tired, wet bodies dragging in at 6:30 or 7:00 pm because they had to get their money's worth by catching the last run of the day. Those were fun times...and we miss them.

Now I'm just hoping the Karl will remember he's not as young as he use to be. We snuggled and chatted a little extra in bed this morning...just in case he's in traction for the next few weeks.

Happy President's Day
Love, Mom Tobler

I'm so unobservant

...I totally missed it.
I read their blog faithfully and I missed it!
I still wouldn't know if Steph hadn't called me.
See if you notice something new on
Chad & Janet's blog.

We are so excited!

Valentines Week

To kick off our Valentines week we went to Buca di Beppos for dinner last night. Food always warms Karl's heart.
Buca is becoming one of my favorite restaurants.
(and I had a $10.00 off coupon)
The food is sooo good! Steph and I continued to "clean up" the left-overs even after an overly anxious waitress took our plates away.

I'm going to have a hard time keeping up with Steph's Valentine Week activities but she has inspired me to try to do something extra nice everyday. This could be tough... but since sweet treats always pass through Karl's heart on the way to his stomach that may be my default. We'll have to see what I can come up with.

But first I have to get Valentines sent to those cute Grandkids...so they can remember their far-away gramma that loves them.

As requested

...the recipes I used for the wedding reception dinner are found on my Kitchen Blog (see the right hand sidebar).
To see them click on the recipes under Mom Tobler's Kitchen Adventures.

Melinda, I'm trying to be better at posting my recipes. Thanks for the interest.

My true colors come through again!

For years I've been semi- looking for dinnerware that I really liked.

A few years ago I saw these at William-Sonoma ...and I've been lusting after them ever since.

But I knew in my heart that if I had the money and chance to buy them... I wouldn't. I couldn't pay that kind of money for dishes. They are just dishes!!! So I have just been pondering how to get what I wanted for a price that I would pay...cheap.

Besides, our set of yard-sale-collected Corelleware has been serving us well for 25+ years just fine. And whether it's been a casual meal or a special dinner our table setting has been acceptable and our food has tasted pretty good off of those old Corelle plates.

Well a few weeks ago when Steph and I unearthed a marvelous set of white basketweave dinnerware at Deseret Industries for her...the light came on. I knew I wouldn't find place settings for 12 of Apilco Hemstitch dinnerware at D.I. but I could amass an eclectic collection of nice white plates...similar in shade and size but different patterns. What an interest table that would set. I really liked the idea.

So on my first plate hunting trip to D.I. I found these. Blew my whole idea.

A beautiful set of 10 Sheffield Bone White porcelain dinner plates...that on closer inspection appear to be new! Not even a scatch to be found!

Right there on the same Deseret Industries shelf with them were 8 Gibson dessert/salad plates that were extremely similar... someone would really have to be scrutinizing detail to notice they are not identical.

And they set a beatuiful table.

(The centerpiece is a garland from the head table of the wedding I'd catered the night before. They're real!)

I will still have to collect a few eclectic pieces to set a table for 12 or more but the hunt will be so fun! And for $18.00... my heart is happy.

Love, Mom T.

Sunday the 31st ... National HomeTeaching Day

Do your Home teachers come to your home and bake your family fresh homemade blueberry muffins while they visit?(Cookie & Muffin baker and home teacher extraordinaire, Bro. Waggoner)

I didn't think so.

Not only does he bake the best muffins and cookies

but his companion loves to play bluegrass!(His son, Nate, on the Banjo)

We get the best hometeaching visits!

Did you notice the moon?

Friday night the moon was a perfectly eerie.I had to take a break from my kitchen, get out the tri-pod and take a few pictures

My first official catering job

...was a success!Thanks to great family help!
Steph folded 120 napkins and that wasn't easy.
They were limp polyester instead of crisp cotton ...so she decided to take an iron to the whole 120 to make sure they stayed put. Now that's going the second mile!

Karl was a chopper/ slicer extraordinaire...lime wedges, lettuce, green onions, orange slices, lemons and snipped grape clusters!
Then Clark, Rachel, Jake (and Sis. Dunsmoor) joined our ranks for the big event...serving, clearing and watering the guests.

I think Rachel washed every one of the 195+ plates and silverware!

Our contracted plan was: set for 118, food for 150. The final head count from the guest book (tallied after the event)...183+ bridal party + a smattering of kids. And most were enjoying the buffet to the fullest. Needless to say, when the line for the buffet wasn't ending but the food was, I was getting extremely nervous. But miraculously most of the food held out to the end, past the expected head count and a few people going back for seconds. At least we didn't have to worry about bagging up any leftover rice, beans, chicken or pork.

And the best part...Keelers were very pleased!

Oh yes, the kitchen crew...they had to go to Red Robin that night for something to eat!