I've got sticky teeth

If today is Friday, there must be a football game. And if it's a home game I must make treats for the cookie table. And yes, it's Friday, and yes, it's a home game. So I decided to make popcorn balls for the first time.

First disclaimer: I LOVE carmel!

I searched the web, and found a recipe from Paula Deen on the Food Network site. It seemed to me that a chubby southern woman "of a certain age" should know how to make good popcorn balls. Now maybe it's because I love carmel as a flavor a whole lot more than corn syrup, but these were not tasty.

Second disclaimer: Paula Deen has failed me before.

I decided to document my cooking adventure just in case it was to die for. Instead, I've documented a failure. I'm an Einstein in the making! This is one way to NOT make popcorn balls.

I started by popping the corn in a cool kettle that we got as a gift many years ago. The corn had passed it's "best by...." date over a year ago, but with nothing to lose I used it anyway, and it turned out great! I picked out the duds, and to my surprise there were very few.

Next I started the syrup. The reviewers on Paula's site suggested adding a quarter cup of butter, which I happily did. I also left out one cup of sugar. OOPS! Half an hour later the syrup was still not at a softball stage. So I removed the syrup from the heat and added the sugar, stirring to dissolve it before returning the pot to the heat. A few minutes later it was at the soft ball stage, and I was on my way!

Cookie sheets lined with was paper: check

Wax paper sprayed with Pam: check

Popcorn sprinkled onto lined cookie sheets: check

I drizzled the syrup over the popcorn, greased my hands with shortening, and tried to mix the popcorn and syrup. Not check. The syrup puddled on the was paper, then cooled quickly and didn't want to scrape back up and coat the popcorn. I tired one reviewers tip and nuked the syrup. So that worked a little bit, but the stuff was just cooling too quickly.

third disclaimer: perhaps I was too busy with the camera to be thinking clearly...

Eventually I formed maybe 10 balls, and had a lot of popcorn leftover, and quite a bit of syrup stuck to the bowls, spoon, spatula and wax paper. Time to taste! My mouth was watering. The bite was perfect: crunchy popcorn with a soft, but not too sticky, glaze. Great bite, disappointing taste. It just has a thickened corn syrup taste.

Oh well, next time I'll use my carmel recipe and I'm sure I'll be much happier with the results. I just hope these things sell at the cheer squad's cookie table tonight at the football game.

I'm moving again!

Just when you think you've got things under control, something hits you that you didn't see coming. Is it because you're relaxed and have your eyes closed? It's easier to hit a target that's not moving? What?
When it was announced last summer that we'd be getting a new Stake Presidency at Stake Conference, I was mildly interested in the speculation, but knew that I had nothing to be concerned about. Stake Presidents and their counselors are typically called from the pool of Bishops and High Council members. No worries, Alan's not part of that crowd. So when the day came and the new names were announced, I was thrilled with the choices, but sad that we'd need a new Bishop. We LOVE Bishop Packard, and in the words of Sheryl Alderman, "the new Bishop has big shoes to fill". My response to her was that his shoes could not be filled, so we'd need some new shoes. That was before we got the phone call to meet with the new Stake Presidency.
So now I'm the Bishop's wife. Like I said, a shot out of nowhere! I knew when I married Alan that he'd be a Bishop at some point, but after 22 years, that thought was buried under years of raising a family, other church callings, softball, basketball, career, pulling weeds... all the usual "stuff". He got a "Handbook of Instructions", but there isn't one for the wifey.
I think that my job description is "Logistical Engineer". How I worked that out of a BA in Interior Design just shows how very creative I really am! It will take an engineer to create order out of our current state. But a house of God IS a house of order, and the inhabitants at this address are now put on notice: Mom's in charge because Dad is busy. So if you leave your stuff laying around you'll have to buy it back from me. I can't mix a messy environment with the need for a clear head.
It was going so well when I moved Brandon out of his downstairs bedroom and made the girls share until Heather left for college. It freed up Brandon's old bedroom to be an office/guest bedroom. What heaven! We've been able to have guests so easily. Well, that's easy for me to say, I'm not the one who had to sleep in that bed..... But still it was great until I realized that Heather would need a place to stay over the holidays and summers. Oh no! So I moved my computer and files into a corner of my bedroom as a temporary solution. And it better be REALLY temporary. I think my great office space will have to move to the loft. It can be done. I just need to figure it out.

trick-or-treat

I finally thought it would be safe to buy Halloween candy yesterday. That way, we'll still have it by Sunday. I always stare at the bags for awhile wondering, "Am I buying this to suit me, my kids, or the trick-or-treaters?" Some years I win, other years the kids do. This year I finally got smart and bought a small bag of Reese's cups for the family, and two different bags for the trick-or-treaters: one of Skittles and something else, and a back-up bag with chocolate. The fruitys go first in hopes that there will be some leftover chocolate.

So the question is, which candy did you hate as a kid, and what is/was your favorite? What I always threw straight in the trash was apples. Too many stories of kooks putting drugs or razor blades in them. Anything unwrapped or homemade followed the apples, unless it was homemade by someone I knew. Those horrid peachy colored peanuts that felt like chalk in your mouth only made it into my mouth once!

Snickers were a favorite that made it to adulthood. Also Baby Ruth's, and anything else that combined chocolate, caramel and peanuts. But 3 Muskateers and Milky Way's were always on my "don't trash it, trade it" list. There will always be those that love them, and I will always not be one of those people.

What I always wondered about were the people that gave out pennies. Did they just forget? Or did they think we would go buy one gumball with the penny? They were probably just cheap!

So this Halloween I'll be enjoying hot apple cider, homemade cookies, and whatever chocolate I can scavenge, and I'll be remembering how on Halloween 16 years ago, eating the Snicker's put me into early labor with Chelsea.

Happy Birthday, Chelsea! I love you, and thanks for NOT being born on Halloween!

a plea to Costco

There are some products in this world that just deserve a "thank you for existing". And the first one is MAC's cremesheen glass lipgloss. I love it! It's not sticky or gritty, and it doesn't make my lips feel like they're on fire. I have ultra-sensitive skin, so many lipsticks and glosses are simply painful to wear.
Second is my Pampered Chef food chopper. Pow, pow, pow! And it's done. Nuts, onions, celery, anything. AND it's top rack dishwasher safe. I don't want anything that I have to wash by hand, that's why electricity was invented.
Vinegar. Just plain old-fashioned white vinegar. It goes in the laundry instead of fabric softener to keep things from getting static-y without getting gummy. I clean with it, keep drains clear and make salad dressing with it ( unless I want flavored vinegar). And it's cheap!
Bath and Body Works hand sanitizers. I've been using them since my kids were little, and still keep them in the car and in my purse. My latest favorite is "Midnight Pomegranite". Yum!
And the last one for today, an herb called "Maca". I started taking it a couple of months ago for hot flashes. I don't think it cools down my body, but it sure cools down my temper! And gives an energy boost, too, without drugs. Now if I could just find the right herbal solution to the hot flashes. Black cohosh root doesn't seem to be working.
The one product I want back is the instant mashed potatoes that Costco used to sell. No sulfites, cheap, and delicious! Better than any other instant, and sometimes better than homemade because they don't get lumpy. But they're gone, gone gone! COSTCO: please, please, please! bring them back. They've been gone from my pantry for a couple of years now, and my mid-life mind has forgotten the brand name. But they were the best ever.

It's a beautiful day in the neighborhood!

It's October 26th, and it was 74 degrees when I picked Chelsea up from cheer practice this afternoon. What could be better? I've loved the cool weather and drizzle for the past month, but today my hair didn't frizz (too much), the sun is shining, and we went to Shave-It.
It would be beautiful to see the fall leaves change color, and I would love to wear sweaters and shoes other than flip flops sometimes, but who can argue with the view from my bedroom window (green trees, no real view)? I have an autumn leaf wreath hanging above the front door, and pumpkins out there, too. That's enough to say "Fall is here!" I'll never have to shovel snow or put chains on my car, we don't get tornados or hurricanes, and I seldom have to carry an umbrella.
I wouldn't want to be anywhere else. And more important than that, I'm grateful for the people that I get to enjoy life with. I have great friends, good neighbors, I live in the safest city in America (sometimes), and I have a great family.
I'm thankful for my family. Every one of them. Thankful that Heather is at BYU where I know she'll learn a lot, and be safe in the meantime. Thankful that she has a great work ethic, and oozes creativity. It's so fun to watch her work through her creative process on things. I'm grateful that Brandon is working so hard at school and at work. And that he sometimes likes to go to Taco Bell with me! I'm thankful that he almost never complains about anything. Grateful that Chelsea is still only 15 and that she likes me to drive her places. Grateful that I can stay home with her so that I can drive her places, see her cheer, enjoy a Shave-It with her, and listen to her sing at her voice lessons. I'm thankful for Alan. Thankful that he makes that long nasty drive every day so that he can support the rest of us. I know how icky that drive is, I've had commutes that long before. Not fun. I'm grateful that even though he's married to me, he still says that every day is the "greatest day of his life".
And I'm grateful that I know what I have to do to feel like this for the rest of forever.

Cafe Rio has finally come to Thousand Oaks!

I love it when my friends come to visit. It makes the same old thing new again. So my great friend Sheri Caringer is here from Denver, and in no time she has brought sunshine to the dreary weather we've been having. Along with a new blog that features * (ta dah!)* copycat Cafe Rio recipes!

The blog is called "Favorite Family Recipes" it sounds like every fundraising cookbook I've ever seen, but it's not. It's heaven!

Enough said. I'm off to the grocery store to find some "boneless pork ribs". And tomorrow we feast on Sweet Pork Burritos! Cafe Rio on a Sunday, and we're not on vacation.

party on, dudes

There is a world of difference between planning birthday parties and planning Ward activities. I don't know why. They both have the same elements: guest list, choosing a venue and theme, menu, decorations, set up, music, planning of games or activities, budget. Parties for my family aren't hard to figure out what to do, all I have to do is the work and figure out how much I'm willing to pay.

But Ward activities? "They're killing me, Larry!" I have no ideas. None. I'm always looking to others to inspire me, or, worse yet, outright tell me what to do. And to think that I considered the idea of being a professional party planner! What was I thinking?! Some things just kind of take care of themselves. But sometimes the status-quo is just not an option anymore. And I don't know why. I guess when I've "been there, done that" and "that" was too boring for words, I just can't repeat it.

So, the truth comes out. Yes, I have been to many Ward Christmas parties that I couldn't wait to escape. Why would I want to do that to anyone? But the very parties I hated, many other people enjoyed. So, I've complained (only to myself, and perhaps to Alan) even though I've had no idea how to improve. Well, I do have some ideas, but they involve taking away others' agency. Along the lines of "if you can't or won't control your child, kindly remove them". Then there are the programs that put me to sleep, or seem more like auditions. Oops.

I've been thinking that I want to do something Italian. I want to borrow Scott Bateman's cypress trees, and line up the long banquet tables end-to-end across the cultural hall with red tablecloths on them. And hang the little lights again. Someone will shoot me for that one! I've got the program figured out. It's the food that I'm stuck on. No lasagna! So now what? I've searched the web, but just can't find anything that seems "right". Maybe I'll get released before Christmas!