Love the One You're With

There are so many amazing songs of the 1970's. "Mandy" by Barry Manilow is a favorite, "Shining Star" by Earth Wind and Fire is probably my all time favortie one, but I couldn't get a really good version of it on U Tube. Then Stevie Wonder with his "You are the Sunshine of My Life" and his entire album "Songs in the Key of Life", What about Van Halen and Journey? Queen, Black Sabbath? It is too hard to narrow down a favorite song of the 70's, but I choose to put this one on the blog because it is a coming of age song. America was still involved in the Vietnam war, the bra was being burned, hippies were free lovin' it all over the country, and this song has a really feel good, happy sound to it.

When I am station surfing and a song stops me and I sing along and dance in my seat, then you know it is a favorite song. This is one of those songs. My brother used to play this on his 8 track in his Corvair. Good times.

Stephen Stills released 1970.

Tiny Feels So Much Better

So my darling Tiny has had a miserable summer. She has just now stared to feel better and is able to do some of my "honey do's" around the house. She usually mops for me once a week, but once again, since she has been sick, that is a job nobody else will touch. I appreciate her so much.

As is tradition in the Glad household, the girls mop on all fours. They remove their pants and go "slip-n-slide" style. Once the entire floor is wet, they double back over the slippery floor and give it a good scrub. Then slide around some more and slop up the extra wet parts.

Tiny has found a full time job for the remainder of the summer. She is working sometimes 11 hours a day. I credit Floradix for getting her healthy. She started taking this liquid iron, and in less than 2 days, she was feeling almost back to normal.

Million Dollar Bars

My daughters and I love to go to Zupas.

My favorite thing to order is the Million Dollar Bar. It is this oooey gooey square of deliciousness made
of chocolate, nuts, coconut and graham cracker. Here is my version of this wonderful bar cookie.

Million Dollar Bars
1 stick butter
2 cups graham cracker crumbs
1 cup shaved coconut
1 cup chocolate chips
1 cup coarsely chopped nuts
1 can sweetened condensed milk

Melt the butter and mix with the graham cracker crumbs. Pat half of the mixture into a 8x8 square baking dish that has been lined with foil and buttered. Mix the coconut, chocolate chips and the nuts and place on the crumb mixture. Top with the remaining crumbs and pour the sweetened condensed milk over the top. Bake 350 for 30 minutes. Refrigerate, lift out with foil and cut into squares.

This is one of those recipes that most American's have ingredients on hand , and it bakes fast so you can do it real quick in the summer. As always, you can click on the picture for closeups. Be aware that you will gain 5 pounds for just looking at them.

Breast Health is Personal

So someone very, very close to me has to have a double mastectomy. They caught pre-cancerous cells during a mammogram and have come to the conclusion that she is 4-6 times more likely to have cancer than normal. She called me a few months ago to remind me to get regular mammograms. It is a routine I have done for a few years now, and it only takes a few minutes. The race for the cure is real, advancements in breast cancer research are real and advancing fast, but no one knows why these cells turn radical.

I will be heading to Denver in the next month or two to take my honored turn at caring for her during this painful transition. I am so grateful she won't have to have chemo, or radiation.

Please check take care of your breasts.
http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/atypical-hyperplasia/ds01018

LDS Living

LDS Living is not just the name of a magazine. (Here is a grouping of magazines that are typically found in ANY doctors office in Utah County.) You can click on the photo to enlarge it. I promise that I did not rearrange these for my picture. I like going into my doctor's office and asking about his missionary, or listening to him /her complain about their ward calling.

I also like that July 24 is a state holiday. It is when Brigham Young led the pioneers into the Salt Lake Valley and founded the frontier town that is now Salt Lake City. Here is one of our " sturdy pioneer stock", pictured below.

Tradition must be kept every year or how else can we eat our Pioneer Breakfast!??

This year was especially yummy. UUMM Bacon!!!

The good thing about Utah Valley is that most of us choose to live here. We like the life style, the culture, the opportunities and for me....that IS a good thing.

Don't Get Caught With Your Pants Down.

Why do things come in threes or fours?

Death:

1. Ed McMahon
2. Michael Jackson
3. Farrah Fawcett
4. and that Billy Mays commercial guy.

Break downs..

1. Broken car, (did you know it is not good for the battery to sit at Sonic and have lunch and run the air con without the motor on?) Tiny!!! (under warranty, no cost)
   
2. back at home, the air con dies in the middle of a heat wave. (Our furnace is the car equivalent of a GEO) P.O.S. ( French for piece of s..t) Upgrade the whole thing $ 6,500.
   
3. a hose to the washer bursts and water spews all over the laundry room. (cat walks through it to get to her litter box, gets wet feet, clumping litter sticks to each paw and hardens like cement, and one legged gimpy woman is fighting 25 pound cat at 1:00 am in the kitchen sink to clean her paws) Then I have to go down and make a hole through the wet mess, so the cat does not have a repeat. Hoses $15.00. Clean mess...priceless
   
4. Gimpy woman's only entertainment breaks down when the modem to the internet goes kaboom. On Comcast's dime.
   

I have to hand it to my husband. He is the master of preparation. He keeps an emergency fund in the bank for just such issues. His goal is to have 3 months pay in savings just in case! It is untouchable money. Emergency's happen, and it is nice to wipe your brow, say "Whew", and just move on to the next problem.

Get Ready Dave, the tv is on the fritz, and I think the washing machine is next.

Bon Jovi - Living on a Prayer - Live in London

So I have been cataloging a few of my all time favorite songs. I never box myself into a corner by numbering them 1-15 or whatever, but THIS SONG IS AMAZING. If you are having a bad day or a problems with the spouse, you will be instantly happy after watching this video. I asked Dave to take me anywhere in the world that Bon Jovi was playing this year for our 25th anniversary. Sadly they are not touring this year, but I will be going to a concert the next go round.

Obama to meet with LDS Church president - Salt Lake Tribune

Obama to meet with LDS Church president - Salt Lake Tribune

Shared via AddThis

Really Rotten Email and My Response

I got a pretty disturbing email in my inbox last week. It was in response to an email a friend sent out to several people about a quote President Harold B. Lee made in support of our country and it's constitution. He asked us not to "preach pessimism".

I loved that! Don't preach pessimism. I think there is a fine line between voicing our opinions, for or against any issue and down right pessimism. As Americans, freedom of speech is paramount!

We have every right to protest, and we should become vocal if warranted. Writing letters, forming boycotts, attending rallies, etc... is how to get things done. Yes! Should we burn the flag, threaten, or become violent? No way.

But this letter that came to my email was just plain scary. He qualified himself as an "independent", that both sides of the party line were messing up this country. But he asserted that President Obama has done more to cause our constitution harm than any other president in history. That he was the "literal fulfilment of Last Days prophecies". He all but called him Satan incarnate.

When members of the church try to prophesy and send out an email it really irks me. I don't care if you are an independent, red, green or gay! Stop preaching pessimism! Do not try to sneak your maniacal dogma into my inbox and expect me to stay quite. Oh no sirree. Not that anybody out there is reading this anyway. Whew! This was very therapeutic!

The Beatles, Hey Jude

This is one of my top ten favorite songs. I will be listing the rest of my top ten in other posts.

I remember hearing this song on the radio as a little girl of 6, in 1968. My parents were hip! It has a timeless melody written by Paul McCartney. But as always, the "Lennon/ McCartney" tag was credited as co-writers.

This song was written for Julian "Jules" Lennon, to comfort him during his parents divorce, and was originally called "Hey Jules". http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hey_Jude for more info on this amazing record.

Jordan and I went to the King's Singers at Abravanel Hall earlier this year and they sang this song and EVERYONE , young and old was singing the chorus. When we got on Trax, there was this older couple getting on with us who complimented me on my singing! I wondered how the knew it was me, but looking at this picture, I can see that two foxy ladies clicking the camera a jillion times makes an impression!

The Real Boring Housewife

Okay, since the foot surgery, I have been pretty isolated.
I have to admit an addiction; not to pain medications, but to Bravo TV! Stick with me here whilst I explain. I am so addicted, that when we switched to Satellite TV through my sister's company, I insisted on the more expensive package that carried Bravo TV much to my husband's chagrin. Here are 3 reasons why:

The Fashion Show, below with Isaac Mizrahi, is Bravo's very mediocre substitute for Project Runway. The rights to Project Runway with Heidi Klum were sold to Lifetime television, and it will premiere on August 20.
I appreciated Fern Mallis'(the creator of New York Fashion Week, shown in purple) opinions on The Fashion Show, but in Isaac's own farewell words to contestants, "Sorry darling, I'm just not buying it"

Top Chef Masters

This show is wicked fun. It is great to see master chefs screw up by forgetting how to cook a hot dog, or cook an egg! The premise is this; 24 famous and successful chefs compete 4 at a time in quick fire mini challenges, and big challenges. Then they rack up points. He/she with the most points for that week goes to the finals. The winning 6 chefs then will compete for the title of TOP Chef Master. There is one more week left before the finals! Oh this is such fun to watch. Huge named chefs are in the finals so far, Rick Bayless, Anita Lo, Hubert Keller, Michael Chiarello to name four. By the way Top Chef season 5 will take place in Las Vegas and it begins on Bravo August 19.

The Real Housewives of New Jersey

I am saving the absolute best, best, best for last!!! These 5 women are soooooo much fun to watch. Tiny and I LOVE THEM! I thought the New York City housewives were the best. Those city slickers are oil stains in the parking lot compared to these true grit gals. These girls don't bother with society or social standing! They are no nonsense, hard working women who were not born with a silver spoon in their mouths. Family comes first, and revenge comes second.

Quick rundown from left to right:

• Jaquline in hot pink: Aching to have a baby, trying to be the peacemaker, every one's best and sweetest friend.
• Teresa with the black hair: Madly in love with her husband and 3 daughters, pays cash for multi-thousand dollar purchases (6 figures cha-ching). Hot Italian temper!
• Danielle in the center: Creepy sicko background, husband stealing, gossiping, trampy, stuck-up, broke mother of 2. Everyone loves to hate her, and for good reason!
• Dina the blond: Quiet spoken, devoted baby sister to Caroline, adoring sister-in-law to Jaquline, and a cat lover.
• Caroline the red head in black: She is the matron of this bunch. Happily married for 25 years, 3 grown children, extremely protective and very down to earth. Love her, mwah, mwah, mwah!
  

Cafe Rio Review

I can only recall doing one restaurant review before on this blog. I think it is time for another. But it is a bummer because Cafe Rio is paranoid of knockoffs or "corporate espionage" so they don't allow video or photography inside (and y'all knows I loves me some photography!). Jordan and I went to dinner after my physical therapy session. ( an aside)We are so funny... I made Jordan go with me because there is a good looking therapist at the office, I wanted her to flirt with him. Jordan is masterful at the art of flirting.

"Hi, I'm Jordan, this is my mother Cindy. What's your name? You look familiar, did you go to Provo? Oh really? Viewmont? My grandparents live directly across the street from the Viewmont tennis courts! How did you end up living here in Springville? Oh, you are on your last year at BYU, me too, only I go to UVU. What does this contraption plug into? Where did you serve your mission? Oh, wow, that's great..."

And on it goes. We actually had him blush once or twice.
He could not take his eyes off her.

So, we go into Cafe Rio at the Plum Tree Shopping center on the diagonal, and we walk in @ 6:00, and miracle of miracles, there is zero line! We both order the salad, mine grilled steak, her's grilled chicken. They have this really nice ranch, tomatillo, avocado, lime dressing that goes with it too. The salad comes with a large thick tortilla and melted cheese as a base. Then, beans, (pinto or black), rice, lettuce, pico, guacamole, cotilla cheese and a wedge of lime and then really good corn tortilla strips. Basically an unrolled huge burrito.

• The food 9 out of 10. It was good value for money, very good. The salad was$ 7.95
  
• Service. It would be 10/10 but the men would not stop staring at Jordan, and then making sucking noises at her while she was eating her food. 5/10
• Cleanliness 9/10.
• Overall 7/10... I'll be back.

Look for the Purple Purse

This is not the most flattering angle of me I must admit. But everything must be documented in my journey towards a happy foot.

I am getting some stimuli and heat before beginning the exercises.

I went to Nordstrom, and I was bad, very, very, bad. I have a new Makowsky handbag, in stylish lavender. I am crazy about it. The only way Dave can stop me from spending is to kick the crutches out from under me, and even then I can crawl.

Did anyone see last week's issue of Time? (click on the photo or here to read the article)

Shock of the year....did you know the family is under attack?!!? Once again, LDS faithful are in "the know" before the rest of the world. It is a very right of center article, and it is about Time (no pun intended).

Here is the gist...

• Marriage is a covenant between man and wife (it should be more sacred)
• A father in the home is essential. (even left wingers agree on this )
• Affairs can damage children for a lifetime....duh

MY BLOG, MY OPINION

Sunday is Family Day

This is a scene that has been too seldom at our house of late.
I was able to make a simple dinner and have my BYU freshman niece, Abigale over for dinner, and of course Brandon, Tiny's boyfriend.

If you look closely on the table there is a Godfather Trivia game. It allows players to put "hits" on each other. Abby found out all to scarily how competitive we are!

Sunday also brought our ward a new Relief Society Presidency. They thought I was eccentric to take photo's, but when their service is over, they will be happy for this photo.

And a fond thanks to Terri, who has served as our President for years, twice! She is show here on the left with her secretary AdreAnn

Tweethearts

Christina and Brandon in a very sweet photo. BYU watching the fireworks. Just thought I'd share.

Two imaginary images

Two amazing sights were before my very eyes this past week. No, it was not the spectacular fireworks at BYU, (only so so ). I want to KICK myself for not having my usually present camera around my neck. So dear friends, I will use the power of words to describe what my eyes have beheld. I must admit I looked on the Internet for substitute photos, but nothing could compare to what I saw.

Image one:

Dave and I ran up to Cabela's Outdoor Sports store in Highland. We were browsing and window shopping when I heard the guttural cries of an older handicapped child wanting attention. My eyes were drawn toward the sound by reflex, not to be nosy , but just because that is what happens right? The child was sitting in a shopping cart and he was fine, but it was the mother who drew my attention. My eyes started at her flip-flop clad feet and slowly rose to her unadorned tree trunk-sized thighs (two of my thighs equals one of hers). She was not wearing any shorts! She had just come from the swimming pool, and was only in her swimsuit and a short shirt! She was Amazonian in height, about 6 foot, and weighed about 280. She did not seem to notice the gaping jawed people who were drawn to her like I was , by an innocent child's cries, and her amazing lack of propriety~ Right on lady.

Image two:

Everyone knows I got my orange cast off. Well at my doctor's office there is a cast room where two patients at a time are treated at any given time. It so happens that the same lady was present at both of my times in that room, 6 weeks apart. The first time I met her was when I had my 2 week post op cast removed and my permanent cast put on. Once they took that cast off I was scratching and sending Tiny to the sink for wet paper towels and soap and water to clean off my foot. This lady was just getting her 6 week cast off and getting ready to have another 6 week permanent walking cast put on. She just sat there! She didn't try to scratch her leg or her foot, she didn't try to sneak off to the bathroom to give her self a pedicure or anything! They just sat there staring at me like I was some sort of freak for wanting to clean off the dead gunk on my foot. Her toes were white and cracked, yes cracked with dead skin.

Six weeks pass and it is once again time for me to get a new cast. I am expecting an
un- removable walking cast. I was prepared. I took a basin, to soak my foot, I took a towel, razor, clippers, pumice stone, callus blade, lotion, because I could not bear to think about another 6 weeks with no pedicure. I knew there would be time between cast removal and cast application for me to go to the bathroom and do a pedi.

So, who should be on the opposite table from me? Yes, this same lady 12 weeks post op getting her cast off. The technician put a large drop cloth on the floor beneath her feet which were dangling off the table. He threw the cast in the garbage can and Oh MY GOSH, you should have seen it, 100 running naked men could not pull my eyes away from the sight of her leg. She had not be washing her toes daily like I had. Her toes and foot were manila envelope yellow from thick dead skin. Her toenails were curled around her toes. Her, leg was caked with cracking orange skin. She had not been removing the dead skin like I had been. I was able to get my hand pretty far down my cast because of the loss of muscle tone, so I was keeping what I could reach of my leg pretty clean. The technician, wants her to walk to the x-ray machine in the other room, but before he does that, he grabs some paper towels and brushes her foot off and the skin begins to drop off onto the drop cloth and makes a similar sound of hail hitting the roof of your car.

Oh gee, the words above don't do the image justice, but it was fun to journal it just the same. I think I might look into become a cast technician.

Cast on.. Cast off..Cast on?

It has been 6 weeks since major foot reconstruction. I was such a good patient and was really good about staying off my foot for the entire time that my surgeon said I could have a surprise...



(ooh gross), No pedi's for 6 weeks!! Yikes

I think my right foot is one size smaller than my left.

a REMOVABLE CAST!!!!

• I took a great bath! I soaked and removed lots of gross "yuck" off my foot.
  
• I "Mom cleaned" (my friend Sue's words), the bathroom today. It was the best thing I have done for 6 weeks. I might go in and clean it tomorrow too.
• I went downstairs for the first time in 6 weeks and did a load of laundry. (I can't carry it up yet, but) it was fun. The family kept it very orderly in there.
• I cooked an egg sandwich. UMMm good.
• I went to DILLARD's...Lancome' week. And yes... I bought a new pair of Teva's. And earrings.
  
• I went out to Quizno's for dinner with Jordan.
• I took movies back on my own two feet and two crutches to AdreAnn across the street.
• I dead-headed some coreopsis flowers.

Okay, I had a great day. Christina felt well enough to go with the youth to the open house of the Oquirrh Mountian Temple. She said it was really beautiful and they had a nice turn out!

Now, I will post tomorrow about the lady who got her cast off the same time I did. It is a story that must go down in the annals of history!

Crap-Storm Update and Movies

Tiny ate some cheese pizza today. Her tummy is slowly coming back to life. She is at the 5 month old kitten stage instead of newborn kitten. Thankfully this set back came during the summer and not during the school year.

The U of U pervert was not caught. I doubt he will be. Malaina is doing better. She continues to turn bats into mice, or mice into bats, I forget which. You can follow her blog here

Jordan has moved to Pleasant Grove. This is the 4th move this year. We are sure this will be the last time for at least a month or two.

Dave continues to go fishing to forget the messes we girls have made of his summer. And I will get my walking cast on Monday. Yea!!!

Here are a few of my favorite movies, remember, in no particular order:



EverAfter....ahhh if there is a better Cinderella story, I don't know of it. The delish Scot actor, Dugray Scott, still makes me gulp when I see him! You will delight in the cumuppance the wicked stepmother and sister get in the end!!!




Dave and I watch this over and over!!! We found it is better to watch with subtitles. You MUST be an avid Science Fiction fan to sit through this movie.
Paul Attradies of House Attradies takes control over planet Arrakis a desert planet devoid of any water at all..."Dune". Arrakis is the only place in the known universe where the "spice" is mined. The" spice" is used to fold space. He who controls Arrakis controls....well...everything. And Paul becomes the Kwisatz Hadarach... You just gotta watch it/read it "Dune" by Frank Herbert




This is the movie that made me a true Kevin Bacon fan. Val and Earl are two Handymen who leave Perfection, Nevada "just one damn day too late". As they leave town they run into several suspicious deaths. What IS under the ground anyway? This is a hillarious comedy/monster movie that will have you giggling in no time flat!




"What's Up Doc?" by the great Peter Bogdanovich. Barbara Striesand is amazing as Judy, the college student who attracts trouble like an Emo cutter at Provo High. Ryan O'Neal is wonderful as the dorky grant seeking professor, Howard Bannister, that Judy takes a shine too. This is the story of 4 suitcases and the people who want them, and the "screwball comedy" situations they all make for themselves. It is my favorite comedy of all time. Madeline Khan and other supporting actors steal the show. Cole Porter's "You're the Top's" is sung to
perfection, by Ms. Striesand too.


Here is my "left-wing" showing. I love these three transvestites. Patrick Swayze, Westly Snipes and John Leguzamo are so funny in this comedy that shows how these girls turn a redneck town into a coming of age happenin' place.
"To Wong Foo, Thanks For Everything, Julie Newmarr", has the longest name for a movie I have ever seen, but you will enjoy the adventures anyhow.