Sundance

Millie Dancing

Wayne and Wes both had the afternoon off so we all went to the Sundance ski resort for the afternoon. Robert Redford has kept this corner of the world pristine and undeveloped except for the resort. We wanted to ride the tram to look at the world from a different perspective, so we popped for the $8.00 tickets and hopped on the tram. We were wishing our son Shon and his family were here with us too. They will have to vicariously go with us through this blog entry. I was thinking of my Mom as we headed up the mountain because can't stand heights. She might be hyperventilating now just looking at the pictures.

This has been a tradition for our little group for a few years now. We missed going last year because the weather took a turn for the worse and it started to rain as we were heading up. We weren't sure we could do it, once again, but it ended up being a beautiful day.....absolutely beautiful.

The only thing that was ugly was the litter we saw below us in some of the grassy areas. There were many bottles and cans that people had just dropped from the tram and in one pine tree we saw a necklace, some ski goggles, a pink lace bra and some dirty underwear. Ewwww!!!

I'm glad we had the digital camera and that the batteries were juiced and the card was in it. We have been other places when I tried to record the memories and realized the card was home in the computer and the batteries were dead.

E is enjoying being outdoors. He would be outside all day if he could.

Colett and Millie before we go on the tram.

Emerson and Wes share a sucker

Amy and Colett posing by the posies

Chief something or other...I don't know his real name

Not so ready to explore

Ready to explore

Ready to see the autumn colors. It is beautiful, although not as spectacular as other years. It has

been a dry year (so they say) and the colors are more muted than other years. This will be a long blog with lots of pictures so hang in there.

Up we go but where is the safety bar????

Hold on tight to that baby. Colett, why so perplexed?

Millie was pulling crazy faces at us

Mr. O

Bob's (Robert Redford's) home

Which way do we go?

My dimpled daughter Amy

We're at the top now. Wes is swinging Emerson..it makes him giggle

My beautiful daughters Amy and Colett and my hottie husband Wayne

Amelia and Grandpa Wayne

Our two youngest grandchildren Emerson and Amelia

Millie was a little baby sitter today. She was so careful that Emerson didn't get close to the mountain edge or fall and get hurt. She was darling as she hovered. She has a lot of maternal instincts that are so endearing.

The Girls

Grandpa and his fun toy...sunglasses

Joan and Amy Lee

Aahhhh!

She is Grandma's girl today

When we reached the top, we were able to see for miles around in every direction. I always feel closer to God when am in places like this. I know he gives us these beautiful nature scenes to make our souls sing and lift us out of our normal and busy lives.

On the way back down now...snapped my feet to put things in perspective.

After we touched down, we watched a man blowing art glass, and potters making their wares, we checked out the gift shop, the Sundance store and went into the deli for a little chocolate treat. I got a Utah truffle (oh.... can you say manna of the Gods?) Everyone else got plain old suckers or rice crispy treats. They do not have the fine tuned taste buds of a chocolate connoiseur like myself. We also checked out the beautiful scenery and admired the "cricks".

Everyone else calls them "creeks" but if you are from Wyoming you know better. They had fish in them and I wished that I had had my fishing pole with me. They may have locked me up if I had tried fishing though, so those little rainbows will be safe for yet another year.

Amy and her free spirit

How did we all feel about the events of the day? We all felt like dancing, but Amy and Millie showed us how. See you here same time, same place next year.

National Homemade Cookie Day

Did you know that Oct. 1st is National Homemade Cookie Day? I didn't either until I saw it on two different sites so of course I need to go make some NOW and so do you. Share them with your neighbors. Is there any better cookie than chocolate chip? Even with all the variations, I'd never spit one out. I also love peanut butter cookies with chocolate chips in them. I got my chocolate chip cookie recipe 35 years ago and it's still my favorite even though I've tried many. Amy has perfected it but we usually get only half of the cookies it says because we eat the dough. The peanut butter recipe was perfected by my daughter Colett. She added the chocolate chips to it once and it's been a favorite ever since. I am still looking for the perfect oatmeal raisin cookie so if you have it...fork it over please! I like mine chewy and moist, not puffy or dry. The Hero's sandwich shop in Billings, MT had a great one but of course it no longer exists and the Perkins Restaurant in Billings makes a great one, but again, we don't have that restaurant here. I make a mean ginger snap and sugar cookie and maybe some day I'll add those recipes too. But for today, let the chips will fly.

Joan's Chocolate Chippers ... makes 2 dozen...bake at 375 for 8 minutes or until barely browned

my oven takes longer

Mix together:

1 c. shortening ( I like to use 1/2 c. Crisco and 1/2 c. real butter... no margarine... and only use Crisco. I have tried other shortenings and it's just not the same. If you use all butter, they will flatten out too much)

2 eggs

2 t. vanilla

1 c. sugar

1/2 c. brown sugar (packed)

Add:
1/2 t. soda

1 1/2 t. salt (it may sound like a lot but for the flavor you need this much)

2 c. flour

2 c. semi-sweet chocolate chips .... Nestles or Ghirardelli... no store brands here either and even Hershey's doesn't taste the same in this recipe)

1 c. chopped pecans if desired (which I do and my daughters don't)

Stir until mixed and bake on greased cookie sheet. Eat while they are hot, even if it they your mouth. Nobody waits until they cool.

Peanut Butter Cookies 375 degrees for about 11 minutes but watch and don't over bake

Mix together:

1/2 c. sugar

1/2 c. brown sugar

1/2 c. peanut butter

1/4 c. shortening

1/4 c. softened butter

1 egg

Add:

1 1/4 c. flour

3/4 t. baking soda

1/2 t. baking powder

1/2 t. salt

Stir in chocolate chips if desired

Mix together and bake on cookie sheet ( I spray with PAM first)

Now as you know, if you break them apart before you eat them, the calories fall out so enjoy!

Quirks

Here is my answer to Amy's "tag" about the quirks that I may have. She says to list 6. I guess we all have our little idiosyncrasies but these are the things that YOU have come up with for me.

1. Wayne said he couldn't think of any quirks that I have. He has lived with me for 39 years so he thinks everything is just normal around here. He said if I do have any it changes from day to day and he doesn't notice. I'll post this before he changes his mind.

2. Margaret reminded me that I don't like my food to touch on my plate. She will take potatoes, corn, chicken and anything else and just mix them together in a big blob and eat it. I really don't want my food to touch. I have heard the " it all goes to the same place" routine, but I don't taste it in my stomach. I don't like my eggs to touch my pancakes and syrup and I certainly can't eat dessert off of a plate that had meat and veggies on it. I have been that way since I was a kid. Now does that make me quirky or just a person of good tastes?

3. Amy reminded me that I don't like my washer and dryer because they don't match. That is true. I like things to match and for things to hang evenly. I have a light switch that is crooked. Wayne took the plate off and tried to fix it, but the builders cut the sheet rock crooked and installed the outlet box crooked so it couldn't be fixed. I look at it every day and it bugs me greatly. It's not quite as crooked at the picture, but almost. When I arrange things on the wall or place baskets on a shelf, I use a ruler to make sure they are exactly the same distance apart.

Does that make me quirky or just normal? Everyone is like that right?

4. Colett reminded me that I have this aversion to the bandleader on the Conan O'Brien show. His name is Max Weinberg and for some reason I don't even want to look at him. Every time he comes on I turn the channel. I hope when Conan takes over for Jay Leno he doesn't bring him along. He is also the drummer for Bruce Springsteen. I don't know why I don't like him except I think he is a perv. One time when my son-in-law Wes was visiting, he messed with my computer so that when I turned it on the following morning the wall paper was covered with his picture. EWWWW! Now does that make me quirky or just discriminating? I can't even post his picture.

5. Kaye Collins mentioned that I decorate for every holiday and that is true. Wayne built a loft in the garage to hold all my stuff. I feel bad that there is nothing to decorate for in January, June, and August. I take every normal thing down and put up my holiday decorations. I do it for Valentine's Day, a few things for St. Patty's Day, Memorial Day, Easter, 4th of July, Fall, Halloween, Thanksgiving and Christmas. Halloween and Christmas really get me excited. Does that make me quirky or am I just full of holiday spirit? Oh, I decorated my dog Fozzie last year too.

6. I HATE looking for things so I have an organization system for my home. I hang my clothes organized in colors. All blues in one section, all reds in one, etc. Also, all my crafts supplies are in plastic bins and have labels, my magazines and craft books are in those wonderful IKEA holders (red... my favorite color) and all my spices are organized in alphabetical order. I have a computer file with the contents of my freezer and food storage shelves, and when I take away or add to them I can go in and modify the file. I always know what I have. My house is usually pretty tidy too but I'm not obsessive about it and it doesn't bother me if your home is not tidy or organized. Does that make me quirky or just organized?

Tag, You're It

Amy did a tag and the rules were to "list 6 quirks about yourself." Everyone else can probably name mine better than I can. I never considered myself very quirky but you may see me as just the opposite, so instead of me naming them, I am going to ask you to name my quirks. I may just get to know myself a little better. Maybe one of my quirks is that I don't know I'm quirky. Hmmmmm, please make comments and then I will list them as a tag from 1-6. Now it is your turn....yes you.... you quirky little bugger.

How Did You Do?

So how did you do? Notice that Toby's and Lissie's eyes are very much like Kee's. Joey's eyes are very much like Shon's. (The shape is the same.) Emerson's are almost identical to Wes', and my daughters have my eyes only in different colors. Colett's kids have their Mom's eyes and Alex's eyes are really blue although it doesn't look like it in the picture. All the Shon Ostler family members have blue eyes, all the Yarro family members have brown eyes, all the Holme's family members have brown eyes and Margaret and I are the only ones with green eyes. My parents both have big eyes and that gene seems to have been passed on to the kids and grandkids. Wayne's eyes are just like his Mom's. Grandpa Howard had gray/blue eyes and my Mom's are blue so Shon must have gotten their eyes. Neither Matt nor Wayne passed on their eye shape genes to anyone. I love looking at everyone's eyes. It's the first thing I notice when I talk to someone.

Kee

Millie

Amy

Joey

Wes

Toby

Shon

Isabelle

Colett

Wayne

Nick

Joan

Matt

Lissie

Emerson

Margaret

Alex