tennessee tuesday

Today we slept in, which is a treat all by itself! We walked the perimeter of Becky & Scott's land with Scott as our guide showing us where the land started and stopped. It is huge and a child's dream to discover! I kept thinking what a blessed childhood Charles, Randy & Ethan are having. It has been extra nice to have Scott home this trip, as sometimes he has to travel when we come to visit. He and Becky have grown together real nicely. Over the past few days, she has reminded Scott nearly 254 times that the grass is growing too long and he needs to get the lawn mower working for the season so she can mow. He has reminded her 254 times that he has to go into town and get a battery.

During our hike, I believe I touched poison oak. I did my best to wash it off when we got back but won't know for two days if it was soon enough. I already feel itchy, but it very well could be in my head. We made horsey sounds to make the horses come to us, but they ran off... kinda says how pitiful we sound. Ashlee gathered pinecones, acorns, bark & such... hence the name Pebbles in my Pocket.

Tonight we had fried catfish & cornbread. Extra yummy and I know a cold piece waits for me in the morning for breakfast. She also made my favorite burrito's today. If Randy was home from college, I would have to hide some from him in the refrigerator crisper. Becky panicked at the thought of me making cornbread tonight. Instead, she and Ashlee puttered in the kitchen together and I sat at the kitchen table and downloaded the photos of the day. They each had the superior look of a good cook on their faces that annoyed the heck of out me. But boy! dinner was sure good :) Then we watched Michael & Follow The Stars.
-Brenda

My sister Becky & her husband Scott

1. Elk poo 2. Land 3. Scott found a baby rabbit with Ethan & Ashlee
4. Baby Rabbit 5. Elk resting 6. Brenda, Becky & Ashlee

1. Clay pigeon launcher 2. Land 3. Becky & Ethan
4. Scott feeding cow 5. Scott & Duke 6. Barn door

1. Trees on property 2. Honey bee farm 3. Ashlee gathering stuff
in her pocket 4. Poison Oak 5. Randy's horse, Skip 6. Scott

1. Ashlee 2. Brenda waving in front, Becky waving in back
3. The farm 4. Scott, Becky & Duke 5. Corn bread 6. Fried catfish

tennessee monday

Well the four words that a man with kidney stones dreads most happened to Scott this morning. 'We'll have to extract'. He has lived with this kidney stone now for over a week and it had yet to make it's way out. He had an appointment with a Urologist this morning and thankfully he squeezed him into surgery right after. He had no time for the fear to build up but gently closed his eyes and was surprised when he woke that it was over... he never saw the doctor. Patient is home recuperating under Becky's loving care.

So Ethan, Ash and I were slugs at home and had a 'doesn't happen too often' lazy day. Tonight we watched James Bond Quantum Solace and sang along with Abba as we watched Mama Mia.
-Brenda

tennessee sunday

Today we went to church with Kris & Steve and the Vissers. It's a community church over in Mountain City. I love coming to this church for several reasons. I love how humble the people are. They don't care if they wear specific clothing, they just love the Lord and come in whatever they are wearing and all are welcome...some in dresses, others in levis. I love the praise music... the upbeat, simple words, the guitars & drums. It makes me feel joyful and it doesn't even matter that I stink at singing, I sing with all my heart. I would add praise music to the LDS church in a heart beat. Most of all, I love the spirit in this humble cement block building. I do personally believe that the only true way back to God is through faith in Him and love & service to one another... everything else builds on that.

We went to Vissers afterwards for dinner...plenty of non-stop visiting and catching up. Picture taking is always a joy for me, Becky taught the younger Visser girls some dancing 101 moves with the help of Scott & played pool, Ashlee & Holly talked about babies, shooting guns, playing with the farm animals and yes little Gregory may be gifted and read words off of cue cards at age 2, but he also did a good job peeing on the pool table today :)

We drove over in Scott's 1973 green Buick Electra. I have to admit I didn't think it would make the 2.5 hour drive, so I asked three times. Becky finally said, 'Brenda. Scott wants to do this.' We brought a card game just in case.

We've known the Visser family for 12+ years now since my Dad and Kris moved to Tennessee from Grass Valley, Calif. Through the years they have become very dear friends. My Dad passed away nearly 8 years ago and Kris remarried 3 years ago to Steve.

We came home and played rummikub... but mostly talked & laughed. Scott is still not feeling well.

-Brenda1. Pastor Ron & wife Nancy 2. Ashlee brought homemade peach

jam to share with everyone 3. The 1973 Buick Electra
4. Steve & KrisFerguson 5. Becky talking with the Visser kids
6. Shooting

1. John & Holly, Faith, John and Destiny 2. Laura, Shay,
Brooklyn & Martina 3. Brenda, Becky & Ashlee with girls
4. Forrest & Brittany, Gregory and Eden 5. Karen & Greg
6. The girls

1. Karen & the girls 2. Becky & Scott dancing with the girls
3. Becky dancing with the girls 4. Llama 5. Goat 6. Brenda & Karen

tennessee saturday

We woke up to bisquits & gravy for breakfast and finished up with a dinner of Country Cube Steak & mashed potatoes. Becky's cooking reminds us we are in the heart of the country. Becky made 3 desserts in the morning that we need to bring for the picnic after church tomorrow with the Vissers and Kris & Steve. Scott started cutting up and eating the brownies while they were still hot from the oven. She made a yummy sour cream/lemon pound cake too and again, slices started to be missing... I was wondering if Becky would be able to bake faster then they were being eaten. Becky did giggle and tell me I was roly poly as I bent down to pick up a crumb off the kitchen floor.

Katie Coon got to come out and play. She has been in the family now for 12 years and you can see how much she trusts and adores Scott. She likes to roam the land and discover new things, sometimes being able to stay over night up in the barn... but always comes back to Scott.

We played Rummikub and Becky was a pitiful loser until she realized the 3 winners of the night came from the "Little" family. Discovering this, she proudly announced that everything they learned, they learned from her... making Becky too a winner (in her head). She is happier now and can sleep better tonight, probably more determined than ever to kick trash.

Samson's antlers fell off today. He shakes his head and I think he is happy to have all that weight & bulkiness off. Their elk herd is now up to four. They are so majestic standing at the top of the hill. They come to the fence when they see Becky & Scott.

We went to Yoder's, an amish market and Becky treated Ashlee to a bunch of good basic food to make Paul. That store can inspire anyone to become a good country cook. We did talk to the boys about choosing a girl one day that values home & family. The boys are trying to beat my score of 222 on the bubble game. They will be unable to do so, but it gives them something to strive for this week. Duke got fixed and has what looks to be a satellite dish or lampshade around his head for 2 weeks. We stopped off to see Charles working on his Fiero with friends and one quick look at his face made us realize he was serious when he said 'don't come visit me'. Who knew? Even I knew better than to take his picture this time.

It's good to see Ashlee all grown up and learning from Becky and talking with Scott. She loves being with the boys too. Tonight while she was doing the dinner dishes, Ethan joined in to help her and they just spent time together. She and Charles stayed up late after Rummikub and chatted. Scott still doesn't feel good with a soon-to-be-passing kidney stone looming over him. Today we talked and laughed about past memories and made new ones. Other than being home, this is my hands down favorite place to be.

-Brenda1. Becky making Sour Cream Lemon Pound Cake 2. Brenda & Becky
3. Scott sneaking Cream Cheese Brownies 4. Ethan & Charles
trying to beat my bubble game score 5. Ethan finding the 2nd elk antler
6. Duke with a lamp shade on his head

1. Becky, Brenda & Ashlee with an employee of Yoder's Amish market
2. Becky hoarding dark chocolate 3. Ashlee figuring out what to for sure
get 4. Ethan & Brenda 5. The barn 6. Ash & Becky at Yoder's

1. Samson 2. Scott talking to Samson 3. Becky & Brenda
4. Ash & Scott 5. Scott 6. Brenda feeding Katie Coon

1. Ethan & Ash 2.Ethan & Ash washing dishes
3. Scott & Ethan mulching 4. Country Cube Steak
5. Scott & Tiger 6. The barn

1. Ash & Becky 2. Charles 3. Becky may be losing?
4. Becky & Ethan 5. Ethan & Brenda 6. Becky & Scott

tennessee arrival

We made it to Tennessee! The lady next to us on the airplane asked if we would be offended if she changed her baby's stinky diaper. I told her I would be more offended if she didn't :) We played 'choose your husband' at the airport. Choices were very limited. Ashlee complained a lot about airplane air and how stinky it was.

As we were waiting at the baggage claim, we asked a nice gentleman to take our photo for our blog. We said at the same time, smiling & giggling... 'we are bloggers!' Afterwards he said that we didn't need him to tell us to have fun. I am happy to be with Becky. It's raining here. Becky talked in Randy language telling us Randy stories all the way home from the airport. The redbuds are in bloom and the dogwoods will follow soon. We came home to homemade stew, biscuits and Ashlee's peach jam. Her home is filled with love, you can feel it. It feels like home. Becky is very nurturing to Scott. Right now he is pretty miserable with his unpassed kidney stone. We watched a Hallmark movie and surprisingly, Scott told us in depth what it was all about. Odd, because he must have watched it earlier by himself. There is a gentleness with Scott when he is with us girls. Ethan is so much like Scott, Randy is away at college, Charles is amazing and participating in a special project for TV this summer. Each one of the boys is so different and wonderful. Right now Ashlee and Uncle Scott are in a deep discussion about titanium planes.. Ashlee appears interested. How high is 80,000 feet? asks Scott...."really high" replied Ashlee! Now they are onto a discussion of red meat and Ashlee vows to eat more... doubtful. I pray this week goes by really slow.
-Brenda

Ashlee, Becky & Brenda

Ashlee & Charles

Settling in together 1. Scott & Charles 2. Ethan & Ashlee 3. Scott & Ashlee 4. Scott & Becky
5. Scott & Becky 6. Ethan, Brenda & Ashlee

2ish days

i am having a really hard time concentrating and being at work. i am so excited to go to tennessee to see my family & friends! the days seem to drag a little. i have a great assistant manager who will take care of things while i am gone. (thanks danielle...and i am so sorry that my head hasn't been at work this past weekish) i just had to say i am so excited to go! (i am almost packed!)
-ash

homemade samoas

paul finds recipes he wants me to make for him. some of them are so easy, and others are a little more time consuming...(he looks at me like, you can bake, just bake them, not that hard!) he is pretty funny. since it is march...aka...girl scout cookie month...he found the samoa cookie recipe. i had to adjust the recipe because the first time i made them the recipe said to fold the coconut into the caramel, i don't know why because the real ones have the coconut sprinkled on top (i didn't take pictures of the last batch because they were horrid looking). this batch turned out much better. they were a little time consuming, but worth it. they are really good. paul said "a great replacement". i am putting the recipe in this post and adding my changes. enjoy!

-ash

cookies-

1 c. softened butter, 1/2 c. sugar, 2 c. flour, 1/4 tsp baking powder, 1/2 tsp salt, 1/2 tsp vanilla, 2 tbl milk (you might not need it)

preheat oven to 350*. in a large mixing bowl cream together butter and sugar. mix in flour, baking powder and salt at low speed. add vanilla and milk. adding the milk as needed to make the dough come together without being sticky. the dough should come together into a soft, not-too-sticky ball. add in a bit of extra flour if your dough is sticky. roll the dough out between pieces of wax paper to about 1/4 inch thickness. use a cookie cutter to cut out the circles. bake cookies for 10-12 minutes, until bottoms are lightly brown and cookies are set. cool for a few minutes on the baking sheet then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

topping-

3 c. shredded coconut, toasted (preheat oven to 300* and spread coconut evenly on a baking sheet. toast for 20 minutes, stirring every 5 minutes until coconut is golden. cool on baking sheet, stirring occasionally. set aside) 12 oz great-quality chewy caramels, 1/4 tsp salt, 5 tbl evaporated milk (for every 12 ounces of caramels, use 5 tbl of evaporated milk), dark or semisweet chocolate.

caramel-put unwrapped caramels and milk in a microwave safe bowl. cook on high for 3-4 minutes, stopping to stir a few times to help the caramel melt. when smooth, dip the tops of each cookie into the caramel. let some drip off and set onto a baking sheet, sprinkle with coconut.

while topping sets, melt chocolate in a small bowl. dip the bottom into the chocolate. let chocolate set. take a piper and make the stripes on the top of each cookie. store in a cool place.

sister christensen

i have a wonderful teacher in our beehive class. her name is jillian christensen. the bad thing is, is she leaves on wednesday for the MTC for her mission to thailand. i am mostly so excited for her experiences she will have as she serves the people there. she will be a wonderful missionary. our class will greatly miss her and so will i! 

we had our beehive activity on wednesday and the girls thought it would be really fun to kidnap her this morning for breakfast. they wanted to do it at 6am, but that was way to early so we settled for 7:30. the girls had planned everything. all i had to do was show up and eat breakfast. we met and headed to her house. we knocked on the door, and her mom opened it and said, "go get her", so we did. it was perfect as we woke her up. i think she was waking from a nightmare because the second she opened her eyes, she moaned (a loud one at that) and buried her face in her hands. the girls were thrilled they were able to be with her on her last saturday! 

breakfast was wonderful. we had belgian waffles, with fresh strawberries, whipped cream, syrup and bananas...delightful. thanks alene for being a great host! 

we had a great time talking about what she had to pack, the culture, language, finding out that she had to pack an 18 month supply of feminine supplies (doing the math with her mom), sending her letters and cookies that will stay good for 3 weeks (makayla wants to send those), and everything else that we wanted to talk about. it was a really nice beginning to a great day!

good luck jillian. i love you!

-ash

makenna tinney, josie porter, jillian christensen , makayla kirkby, lindsay loveless, abby birrell

conrad barks!

so i get to watch conrad each and every thursday. the best part is when we drive in our driveway he looks out the window to watch for my neighbors dogs. when we pull up, the dogs run to the fence and bark like crazy. he can't wait to get out of his car seat (he practically jumps out of the car). i thought i would show what he does since i can't explain it...here you go... 

-ash

i know...

i know i haven't blogged in a while, i know. i think life just keeps going faster and faster. all i know is that it is already march! when did that happen? i am getting a little frustrated because after all i do and after all i have done, it is still march and i am still waiting for halloween (which i have heard was 4ish months ago!). 

i thought in this post, i would write about one of my favorite things...

you guessed it! i love the movie pride and prejudice. i have one of the two discs in my dvd player all the time. i don't know how to explain my fetish with this movie. i can watch this movie over and over. i know...lame right? WRONG! paul will often come home from work, i will be folding laundry, making dinner, dusting, or just plain watching the darn movie. he sighs that big sigh (i know what it means), and then he sits and watches it (he says he doesn't). he will ask questions, if he walks away right before elizabeth smiles at mr darcy while his sister is playing the piano, i pause it and make him watch it with me again. you can't fake that kind of emotion between the two of them. totally adorable. i love, love this movie...

the 'other' one with miss lip puffer is lame in comparison. not worth the time. 

(this movie is best with ben & jerry's ice cream!)

-ash