I was able to just watch Suzanne and her version of a birthday party for a little girl turning 2. Here, Kamryn was able to just sit back and truly enjoy each step of the evening without being rushed or overwhelmed with people and gifts. Happy Birthday, Sweetheart!
Netflix is running a documentary right now entitled "FOODMATTERS". It's extremely informative and even life changing as it reconfirms for me the commitment I made many years ago to live healthier. My own food choices are quite a challenge for me but not so much when I'm out there researching the reasons for eating right. Those reasons are compelling. 
See the beautiful woman in this picture? She's my sister Sheryl. After I had my car accident she dropped everything and came from Oregon to help me. She spent 8 days here helping with dinner, applying and refreshing bandages, changing the pads on my neck brace, driving me places, watching movies with me and generally lifting my spirits. She saw me through the tough beginnings of being back home and on my own, seeing me with my poor hair looking so absolutely terrible, and with a huge gash on the back of my head, which she tenderly cared for with comfrey and gauze.
At my house we are a bit food-challenged. I am allergic to sugar, dairy products and chocolate. Some have wondered what's left?! There actually is a lot left, but for a long time I thought I'd never eat fudge again. Had I had to deal with these allergies several decades ago I'd have simply been out of luck ~ I've seen those "health food" cookbooks from the 70's and they sure leave something to be desired! Some call for wierd ingredients and many don't have much flavor. But nowadays there are healthy alternatives that are easy to find and taste good, too! So, how do you make fudge without chocolate, you may ask? Well, there is a substitute I use called Carob. I know it's not truly the same, but it works for me. And this recipe can be made with chocolate chips instead of the carob chips that I use here. Carob chips come in 10 oz. bags and chocolate chips come in 12 oz, so I measured them at 2C.
Place chips in the microwave for about 30 seconds with 2/3 - 3/4 C. Peanut Butter (we like the crunchy kind). I prefer Adam's because it has no sugar or hardened fats, and add 2 tablespoons of milk. Adam's is very soft so with regular peanut butter you may need to increase milk. Stir the chips, peanut butter and milk, place back in the microwave for 15-20 seconds and stir again. If needed microwave another 10-15 seconds. Be careful though, carob is very heat sensitive and becomes chewy like a tootsie roll quickly if it get too hot. If there are bits of carob chips left, just stir the warm mixture until they finish melting.
Add 2-3 packets of Truvia to taste and 1/8 t. of Vanilla. I use Butter Vanilla. Spread onto oiled plate. Allow to cool to room temperature. 
Carob Chips can be purchased at Health Food Stores and Whole Foods. Adam's Peanut Butter, Truvia (a no calorie natural and healthy sweetener), and Soymilk are available in many grocery stores. And, Butter Vanilla comes from from the specialty cake and candy maker's supply store, but regular Vanilla is OK, too! So there you have it; Fudge made without Chocolate, and taste's like a peanut butter cup! Well, at least to me it does!! Here're those 5 simple ingredients without all the chatter:
2C. Carob or Chocolate Chips
2/3 - 3/4 C. Peanut Butter
2T. Milk or Soymilk
2-3 Packets Truvia
1/8 t. Vanilla
Loving and supporting others is what the song "That's What Friends Are For" is all about. When our family was going through a particularly difficult time, I was able to be part of Sweet Adelines. It was like belonging to another Relief Society. They always ended rehearsals with the song "That's What Fr
iends Are For", and they lived up to it. 
Friday we spent several fun hours as friends and family at the Fresno Zoo. Most importantly, we made a special trip to the Dino Dig, as was promised to Paige, since we missed it last time!
my favorite movies include "Couple of Swells" - Judy Garland and Fred Astaire, "One Fine Day", and "Dreams" by the Cranberries.
Of The Opera, and Suzanne sang "On My Own" , from Les Miserables, for the Best of Broadway presentation done by the Turlock 2nd Ward when they were in high school, and they were both great!
I was so excited about it that I forgot to take pictures of what it looked like when I first got it home. It's solid wood and looked like it had been bought and used as unfinished. There was some pencil scribbling and black Sharpee markings on it and some crayon. The crayon came of with a scouring pad. I wiped off the dust with a damp cloth, took out the drawers, and painted.(My Dad is a retired professional house painter, and he emphasized the importance of making sure the surface was clean and he told me that the paint wouldn't cover crayon.) Since there was no old paint or varnish or serious dings I didn't need to sand anything either! If you have a surface that is very smooth, the paint won't stick so sanding is a must.
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Remember Sandy Duncan and Danny Kaye? They starred together as the father/woodcarver Geppetto and his little boy puppet-child in the stage play-type production of Pinocchio that was featured on the Disney Channel years ago.
These are some of the songs that belong to David and me. Not all of them were available. Songs that are numbered 1-11, 13 and 67 are part of a collection that David took some lines from to put together a sweet and poetic verse for me before we were married. 
That headline may be true, but first you've got to be willing to make the investment to be really good. This is our high school band and I'm the one just to the left of Lynn Rash, who is front and center.
No, not THE Santa Fe Trail. Tulare has it's own. Fortunately this one's designed for fitness ~ walking and jogging and it also has a bike lane and horse trail alongside. It goes all the way across the city.
On Sunday, Feb 9th, 1964, we were some of those millions of Americans who "tuned in" to the Ed Sullivan Show to see The Beatles! I'm sure that not all of the viewers were as thrilled as the 11 year old girls were, but there I was. This was an historic landmark event that was part of promoting a new style of music that came from across the ocean to forever change the sounds of rock and roll.
We took out the desk, the old entertainment center, and the wreath from above the fireplace. And with a few other minor additions, I like the update.
When my Dad married Norma in 1962 an unexpected thing happened to me. I was intruduced into some pretty classy adult contemporary music, and it was wonderful! I loved it when she listened to KSFO, and I learned to love those great songs. I remember George and Phillip coming to visit and we would watch Norma and George dance to some great songs. It was lots of fun and the memory has lasted. Now much of that kind of music is considered romantic "dinner music". Artists like Louis Armstrong and Nat King Cole were some of the best! Today, they are followed by crooners like Michael Buble who is right up there. And although I don't have Andy Williams or Bing Crosby yet, they may be coming soon.
I've been wanting to paint our front door just to freshen it up, so I went and bought paint at Lowe's. They were very helpful in asking me what kind of door, wood or metal, and explaining to me my options. I bought Rustoleum paint because of the fog we have here and the metal door. Although I've never noticed rust, I think prevention is a good thing. So I bought the "expensive" paint, $8 instead of $4 for a quart.
Let's start at the beginning of this partial musical soundtrack of my life. My mother was named after Shirley Temple. When I was little I was given numerous "permanent waves" to my hair because Shirley Temple's curls were so cute. Naturally, I watched and loved her movies. Animal Crackers In My Soup is just a sample from her collection, as are many of the songs chosen for this playlist.
