Highlights of the Year 2021

The year 2021 has been an eventful one for our family! 

After having six adorable grandsons, I finally got my first grand-daughter.

(Respecting my daughter's wishes to not show her children's faces.
Scumbags on the internet ruin everything.)

My oldest son, Cody, turned 40! We celebrated with an open house. 

Cody loved having his friends from  Turn Community Services there.

Katelyn, who happens to be my youngest child, turned 30! What?! How?!!

Boyd and I went to Fort Worth, Texas to see my BF from high school and her family.

My sister, Camie, and her daughter, Lainey, came and 

spent a few days with me. We braved Vegas for a day.

Beverly and I went on our first girl trip without our daughters. We had a great time, even though we had to wear masks on the rides. (And we really wished the girls could've come.)

On a sad note, my step-father passed away. I am glad he's no longer suffering. 

CANCER CAN SUCK IT!

Boyd and I made the decision to cash in on the insane housing market in St. George and move out of town. We bought the cutest home in the perfect location and moved in the first Saturday of September.

Within a month, I landed a job as an EL Interventionist at the elementary school close to my home.

(Ignore the typo in my text.) 

Cody is adjusting to his new day program. He really wanted to be Goofy on Halloween. 

We've enjoyed a couple of snow storms (which rarely happened in St. George).

We hosted our first Thanksgiving in our new home and just ended the year with a very Merry Christmas.

Looking back, I feel blessed beyond measure!

Bring on 2022!

To you and yours...

Snowmen Christmas Gift Packages

My younger sister, Teresa Barney, wrapped these adorable snowmen gifts for all of her grandchildren this year. I think they're too cute not to share. She really went above and beyond to make this Christmas special for them. 
 

"Is He Nuts?"/ My Two Cents

 

When I started dating Boyd, my now husband of 4 years, one of the first memories I have is the two of us standing in my kitchen and him saying that he had something important to tell me. I could see that Boyd was nervous about whatever it was he had to say. He then proceeded to let me know that his son was gay. My reply was simply... "So?" It makes me sad to think Boyd anticipated a different reaction from me, but the honest truth is, he and his family had experienced a good deal of unfavorable, and often unsolicited, opinions from people over the years. Despite my obvious acceptance, Boyd acted much the same way when he told me Trevor had recently come out in therapy as Transgender and wanted to be called River. My reception was the same. We simply stopped calling him Trevor and began referring to her as River.

Now, cutting our story abruptly short (maybe save it for another post or ten), within months of me meeting Boyd, River passed away. Her death was determined an accidental drug overdose. River's story is not unlike many, many other LGBTQ+ individuals who are treated SO poorly and turn to drugs at an early age to numb incomprehensible pain. And the sad thing is, most of these people who do so much harm call themselves "good Christians". Which brings me to the point of this post...

 "Is He Nuts?" is my new favorite book. Dennis Schleicher went through abuse from his mother, was tricked and admitted into a psychiatric hospital for troubled teens, divorced his parents and became his own court-appointed guardian at age 16, ended up on the Sally Jesse Rafael TV show as well as Larry King Live, and participated in the process of a Connecticut hate crimes bill that took effect in 1991. I'm going to just stop here, because I don't want to ruin the book for you. I highly recommend reading Dennis's story no matter what religion, sexual orientation, or race you are. I applaud him for being so open. As of today, you can buy a hardback at Cedar Fort Publishing  and the price has been slashed from $22.99 to $3.99! 

Road Trip Questions

Sometimes you need to turn off the music and the audio books, put away your phone and devices, and actually communicate with those you are travelling with. Here are a few thought provoking questions that are bound to strike up interesting, and often humorous, conversations...

What weird food combinations do you really enjoy?

What’s something you really resent paying for?

What movie can you watch over and over without ever getting tired of?

What actors or actresses play the same character in almost every movie or show they do?

What’s the best / worst practical joke that you’ve played on someone or that was played on you?

Where do you get most of the decorations for your home?

Who was your craziest/ most interesting teacher?

What makes you roll your eyes every time you hear it?

What’s your cure for hiccups?

What was the most unsettling film you’ve seen?

If you could have an all-expenses paid trip to see any famous world monument, which monument would you choose?

 If animals could talk, which animal would be the most annoying?

What songs hit you with a wave of nostalgia every time you hear them?

How comfortable are you speaking in front of large groups of people?

As a child, what did you think would be awesome about being an adult, but isn’t as awesome as you thought it would be?

What life skills are rarely taught but extremely useful?

What brand are you most loyal to?

What’s the funniest thing you’ve seen a kid do?

What’s something that everyone agrees we should change, but somehow it never changes?

Tell me 3 things you remember about Kindergarten.

If you could live in any TV home, what would it be?

What was the first CD you ever owned?

What one thing annoys you most at a restaurant?

What are some small things that make your day better?

What hobby would you get into if time and money weren’t an issue?

Do you have an irrational fear?

Do you have a favorite flower?

WOULD YOU RATHER QUESTIONS-

Would you rather have a unicorn horn or a squirrel tail?

Would you rather be able to see 10 minutes into your own future or 10 minutes into somebody else’s future?

Would you rather become someone else or just stay you?

Would you rather give up watching TV/movies for a year or give up playing games for a year?

Would you rather own your own boat or your own plane?

Would you rather be able to fly or be invisible?

Would you rather brush your teeth with ketchup or mustard?

Would you rather live without a cell phone or a TV?

Would you rather be covered in fur or covered in scales?

Would you rather have no eyebrows or only one eyebrow?

Would you rather drive a beautiful, sleek sports car that was unreliable or an ugly, dented, rust-covered car that never broke down?

Would you rather never eat your favorite five foods again or only eat your favorite five foods for the rest of your life?

Would you rather have more time or more money?

Would you rather...

meet the president of the United States or your favorite movie star?

be completely invisible for one day or be able to fly for one day?

be a kangaroo or a horse?

live without the internet or live without AC and heating?

go to the beach in the summer or skiing in the winter?

be fabulously famous and poor or unknown and rich?

have a completely automated home or a self-driving car?

win an Academy Award or an Olympic Gold Medal?

live on the beach or in a cabin in the woods?

have to eat a bowl full of crickets or a bowl full of worms?

lose your sense of taste or your sense of smell?

live on a houseboat or in an RV?

live in space or under the sea?

be able to talk with animals or speak all foreign languages?

Broccoli Salad

 

Salad-

5 cups broccoli florets (bite size)

8 slices bacon, cooked crisp-tender and coarsely chopped

1/3 cup red onion, chopped

1/2 cup Craisins

1/4 cup sunflower seeds

1/4 cup feta cheese, crumbled

Dressing-

1/2 cup Best Foods mayonnaise

1/4 cup plain yogurt

1/3 cup Hidden Valley Coleslaw Dressing

Combine salad ingredients in a large bowl. Mix dressing ingredients in a small bowl and add to the salad, stirring until everything is covered. Chill for several hours. Enjoy!

Beverly's Baked Beans

My good friend, Bev, gave me this recipe. I tried it out this week and my family loved it! I only changed a couple of things, which are noted in the recipe. So enjoy!

P.S. Isn't it wonderful to not have to read paragraph upon paragraph of endless babbling and dodging pop up ads? You're welcome. :)

Ingredients-

10 slices thick bacon- cut up

1/2 lb. ground beef

1/2 c. chopped onions

1/3 c. sugar (I use brown sugar. By now, y'all know how much I love brown sugar.)

1/2 c. ketchup

2 T. molasses

2 T. mustard

1/2 tea. salt

pepper to taste

1/2 t. garlic powder

1 c. crushed pineapple with the juice

1 16. oz. can each, pork and beans, butter beans, kidney beans

    * I used 3 cans pork and beans instead of using butter and kidney beans.

Directions-

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. 

Fry bacon pieces. Drain.

Brown ground beef and onions. Drain. 

Mix all ingredients into a 3 qt. casserole.

Bake uncovered for one hour.

Tip- Remember your kitchen scissors. They're perfect for cutting the bacon into pieces.