Lemony lemon brownies?

okay, got my recipe. now all I need is some LEMONS!






Lemony Lemon Brownies

Ingredients:

1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
3/4 cup flour
2 eggs, large
2 tbsps lemon zest
2 tbsps lemon juice
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1/4 teaspoon sea salt

For the tart lemon glaze:
4 tbsps lemon juice
8 tsps lemon zest
1 rounded cup powdered sugar

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

2. Grease an 8×8 inch baking dish with butter and set aside.

3. Zest and juice two lemons and set aside.

4. In the bowl of an electric mixture fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the flour, sugar, salt, and softened butter until combined.

5. In a separate bowl, whisk together the eggs, lemon zest, and lemon juice until combined.
6. Pour it into the flour mixture and beat for 2 mins at medium speed until smooth and creamy.

7. Pour into baking dish and bake for 23-25 mins, should turn golden around the edges.

8. Allow to cool completely before glazing. Do not overbake, or the bars will dry.

9. Filter the powdered sugar and whisk with lemon zest and juice.

10. Spread 1/2 the glaze over the brownies with a rubber spatula and let glaze set.

11. Spread 1/2 the glaze over the bars, and let it set (not harden like most).

12. Cut into bars and serve.

To cover or to not to cover. . .

Do I cover up the preschooler in the  morning so she will be warm and possibly sleep longer?

OR

Do I leave her uncovered so will be chilly when she wakes up, then she will come climb on my lap and snuggle with me to get warm?

HOLY SMOKES!

A summer ago, our house filled up with smoke.

It wasn't a fire, and we never figured out for sure what caused it (that's a terrifying thought in and of itself,) but we knew it was a plastic burn -a plastic melt, of some kind.

We suspect it might be a wire to a bathroom fan, but we still don't know. The fire dept. even came and looked around with their heat vision camera and couldn't find any hot spots.

Yesterday, Koby came home and declared that our house smelled like something was burning.
Yep, it smelled like that same burn from a a summer ago.

I ran upstairs and checked the bathroom. No smoke. I checked the bedrooms. No smoke.

I could smell it when he mentioned it, but it was the worst in the entryway.

I couldn't find anything, but there was no smoke, so I forgot about it till later that afternoon.

We have a relative staying in the casita, and he mentioned that his power was off to several things in the casita. He could hear clicking like something was powering on and off.

Hubby started searching around, and found a power box on the outside wall of my bedroom was scorched. He opened it up to discover today's culprit.

The whole switch inside the box was melted. The wires had fried so bad they were severed.

YIKERS!

The smell was in the front of the house and the melted thing was as far away from the front as it could get- in the back of the house.

Hubby was able to replace the melted part and wire.

But, I am serious about getting a fire safe, now!

Me and Murphy! I am so used to him and his law; I live by it.

Saturday.
Couldn't get to sleep last night till 2 am., and I had to get up early with lots of things to do.

The Schedule:

Koby and Kash swim meet at 9 a.m.

Kort's basketball game at 10 a.m.

Go to Wal-mart for milk and birthday presents.

Go to Home Depot to buy parts for a shower.

Go to Lowe's to buy parts for a shower since HD didn't have what we needed.

Kauri's birthday party at 12 p.m.

Kinzie's basketball game at 2 p.m.

Kauri's basketball game at 4 p.m.

Kash's gamers party at 4:30 p.m.

Koby leaving for pictures for Senior Ball at 4:30.

Kinzie's birthday party at 7 p.m. (across town).
Kash's stake dance at 8:30.

I was already short on time, and needed to get to work on the corsage, but we had to stop
at the stores.

Milk has gone up 33% since Christmas.
Now if I could

just convince my kids to stop drinking it for every thirst quench,
so that we don't use 1.5 gallons a day.

HomeDepot had the vinyl flooring we needed, 

but their only roll had slices through it 5 layers deep.

Lowe's claimed they didn't even have any, 

but I found some there, and it was too little, so we had to buy 2 of them.

I didn't have time for the 1 store,

let alone all 3 of them.

Didn't make it home in time to get the gift to Kauri and give her a ride, so

Kinz had to walk her to it.

The Corsage:

It is not
rocket science to tie a corsage ribbon,

so WHY CAN'T I DO IT?!!!
Strike One.

I gave up

on the ribbon and went to work on the bracelet.

The bracelet was lost!
Strike Two.

I gave up 

on the bracelet and went to work on the flower

and baby's breath.

My floral tape was missing!
Strike Three!

I was sooooo out of time.

I spent the next hour searching my craft storage area for the floral tape and bracelet.

Kinzie and I couldn't find them.
Lost time = Strike Four.

While I was looking, I accidentally pulled out the plug to the only light source to the craft corner.
Strike Five.
The plug is behind my ginormous headboard and would take a miracle to fix it,
so instead, I had a meltdown.

Hubby was busy doing his own project fixing a shower, so

he was unavailable.

Out of desperation, I called him. He dropped everything and went the 10 miles to

go get me some floral tape.

He was already on his way to the store when we realized Kinz had to be to her game in

10 minutes,
Strike Six.
so he had to come back and get her and drop her off.

Which meant that I would be late to see her game. pffffft.
Strike Seven.

Finally got to Kinz's game,

but when we got home I only had a half an hour to put the corsage together

before going to Kauri's game.
I would have had longer if she had found a ride like I requested her to do, but didn't happen.

I got the corsage all put together and was attaching it to the bracelet with wire,

and the wire SLICED the rose right off of its stem at the base of the flower!!!
Strike Eight, Nine, and Ten!

OMH

Now what am I supposed to do?

I tried hot glue like everyone uses on you tube, but

it wouldn't work for me, cause I didn't have time to wait for it to get super hot.

?

?

?

I tried it one more time since the glue had time to heat up while I tried to figure out what to do,
 and we won't know if it worked till

later tonight.

I strung a ribbon through the bracelet because the bracelet is too big

for Allisyn's wrist, and she can tie it on so it won't flop around.

Then Kauri and I were late for Kauri's game.
Strike: ?, I lost track. then she got a jammed thumb and couldn't play most the game.

I wanted to find Koby to take pictures of him and his date,

but he didn't know where he was,

BUT

he called me right back to let me know he forgot he had the

salad assignment.
Strike: I lost track plus 1.

Now, it's 5:30, and Costco will be closed before I can get there

to get more lettuce for me to eat tomorrow.

I had to

give every last shred (haha, get it?) to the dates.

I had to cut it all up, make dressing, and find containers to put it all in.

(That reminds me of a funny meme I saw:

Tupperware?

More like TupperWHERE?!

WHERE THE FREAK IS THE FREAKING LID!

Hahahaha)

Then, we couldn't find Koby's picture session.

He left his phone in the car.

They ended up being a mile away from where he said they would be.

It was so dark by now that my

snapshot of them will not turn out!
Strike: whatever plus 2.

She had her dress custom made in Mexico and

shipped to her.

I hate that I could not do justice with a picture in the dark.

(most of their fellow daters were an hour late to pictures, so they

had to take them after dark. : (

Then, we no longer had time to go on a date before Kinzie had to be somewhere.
Yep, another strike.

We had to go clear across town to get Kinz at home and take her back to where

we had just been, to get her to her bday party.

That reminds me. 

There is a bridge approved and okay'd to start any day now that will be so close to my house that
"clear across town" will only be a couple of miles away.

YAY

YAY

YAY

just not today.

I was gonna give myself a break from my Saturday night addiction on account of
eating too much Christmas Junk,
but if I was going to be anywhere near tolerable to live with,
I HAD TO HAVE IT!

So, I caved and got my Durango's small pork salad in a hard shell
with black beans, lime rice, cilantro, sour cream, guacamole and extra pico and Cholula sauce.

Okay, I am back to my bipolar personality number 1 for a few hours.  : )

and then we get a phone call from Kash, who has a ride to the dance, but now needs
us to come get him at his party and give him a ride home to finish his chores before he can go to the dance, but
the friend's parents somehow can't give him a ride a mile up the street to his house.
So, we have to leave Durango's with my meal half eaten

: (

and drive clear across town to get Kash and take him home then drive him clear in the freak across town to the dance. Strike whatever.

And there you have a day in the life of me.
Phew.

Thank goodness I had a picture turn out!!!

Koby and Allisyn.

Koby's girlfriend, Allisyn, made his boutonniere.

Kyson and Courtney stunting

If only I had taken bathroom pics.. . . . .

maybe I could be cool enough to have pics like this. . . . .

Aunt Ada

I am posting this for my family records. This is my grandmother's younger sister.

I was told she was mistakenly left of the obit by the paper, but no one works weekend to fix the error before the funeral. I think another sister was left off as well.

There's a lot of info here about my own grandmother's history.

(I wrote this to the paper Sunday night of the viewing:)

My grandmother's sister passed away and she was left off the obituary. I believe another sister was left off as well. I think it might be The spectrum's fault it was left off. It's only fair that you print a corrected one in the paper, and maybe even apologize to my 96 year old grandmother. She has always taken your paper.

Obit was for Ada Alldredge.

Sisters left off are Myrtle and Pearl.

Thank you.


Ada Helen Nelson Alldredge (1921 - 2014)

Ada Helen Nelson Alldredge 

St. George

Heaven gained one amazing, sweet, energetic angel. Our beautiful mother, Ada Helen Nelson Alldredge left this life January 9, 2014 and went on to be with our Dad .

She was born October 27, 1921 in her Grandma James' house in Ramah, New Mexico, to James Mark and Nellie Mariah James Nelson. She is seventh in a family of twelve children. She married Verl I Alldredge June 21, 1940 in the St. George LDS Temple. They were the parents of eight children.

Her father, being a lumber man, moved the family to the mountains in New Mexico during the summer to work in the logging camp and back to town, Bluewater, New Mexico in the fall for school. Their summers in the mountains were a fun time for the children playing in the hills. With such a large family, she learned early to work and help out. As a teenager she pieced quilts for fun when work was done. Quilting became a lifelong love. She served as quilt chairman in the Relief Society for 5 ½ years. They made a quilt a month, plus a satin quilt for each bride from the ward.

Mom's life was that of devotion to Dad, her children and the Gospel of Jesus Christ. She served for 28 years as a volunteer in the St. George Temple. She served in the Primary and even when she thought she was too old, she was called to be the Secretary in the Primary. The Relief Society was her love, serving there for many years in different positions including President. She was always a Visiting Teacher until her illness in 2010. These last three years she kept busy making hot pot holders, dish clothes, dollies for grand and great-granddaughters and scarves for a humanitarian project - close to 200 scarves. She couldn't stand sitting idle.

During her lifetime, Mom had many serious illnesses that could have taken her life, but she was a fighter and outlived everyone's expectations making it to 92. We called her our "ever-ready bunny" because what ever health problem she had, even when we didn't think she could get better, she did! One of the more serious problems was lung cancer in 1963. She had a lung removed, then she developed diabetes due to the steroids she took to help her breathe. She determined that she wanted to live to help raise her family and be there for Dad. And she did. In 2010, she had a fall that we didn't think she would recover from, but she has battled back for 3 ½ years and even with this last downturn in her health, she was fighting to get better to take care of her family. 

We are grateful to have had our Mom with us for so many years, for her example and for her fighting spirit that showed us not to give up when things get tough. 

She is survived by four daughters; Darlene (Gale) Larsen, Elma Jean (Jay deceased) May, Evonne (Burton) Johnson and Nancy (David) Thompson; four sons: Jerry (Gerri), Michael (Cindy), Dennis (Rae Ann) and Alan (Rinda); 52 grandchildren; 129 great-grandchildren; and 2 great-great-children. She is also survived by her brother, Bennie (Kathy) Nelson; sister-in-law, Maxine Nelson; and a brother-in-law, Bill Bundy. She was preceded in death by the love of her life, our Dad, Verl; her parents; brothers: Joseph (infant), Mark, Heber and Robert Nelson; sisters: Mary (infant), Marvia Goodwin, Eliza Bundy and Reba Burgess; two granddaughters; two great-granddaughters; and one great grandson.

As a family, we would like to express our thanks to Dr. Rignell, for his kind and loving care of our mother over many years, and to Southern Utah Hospice, Bob, Natalie, Leah, Laura and Debbie. So appreciate your being there anytime we needed help and advice.

Funeral Services will be Monday, January 13, 2014 at 11:00 a.m. at the Main Street LDS Chapel, 166 South Main Street, St. George, Utah. Visitations will be Sunday evening from 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. at Metcalf Mortuary, 288 West St. George Blvd. and Monday, at the Chapel from 9:30 a.m. to 10:30 a.m., prior to services. Interment will be in the St. George City Cemetery.

-  http://www.legacy.com/obituaries/thespectrum/obituary.aspx?n=ada-alldredge&pid=169011018&fhid=4514#sthash.pvgMVAtp.dpuf

Senior Stampede!

Let the games begin!

Since the age was changed for missionaries, the church will forever be overwhelmed by 6 to 9 months' worth of freshly turned (or soon to turn) 18-year-olds that will be graduating high school and racing to get their mission papers turned in by Jan. 23. (The rule is that you can turn them in 4 months before you are able to leave for a mission which is 18 years old and graduated. Graduation is on May 22nd.)

Gone are the days that there are a handful of people a month turning the necessary age for a mission and putting in the papers randomly.

Everyone from late Kindergarten starters (boys AND girls who turned 18 before their Senior year started) to late May and June birthdays will be scrambling to get to their Bishops in the next 2 weeks to get their mission papers started and turned in.

Right now in my current ward (my ward has changed 11 times in 21 years while living in the same house), there are 16 missionaries out. Half of them are girls.

By the end of May, I expect to be financing 10% of the 20 missionaries from my ward!

Get it?

Kyson got trampled by the age change and the Senior Stampede from last year, and it would have set his schooling and his only scholarship off by a whole year to get home mid November had he turned them in last year.

Not only were all the freshly turning 19 year old boys and freshly turning 21 year old girls putting in their paperwork one year ago, but also ALL the girls already 19 and 20 and, it seems, every male high school senior. There's not that many beds for all those interested at once, so that put departure dates 6 months out for a lot of kids.

Kyson is now determined to beat the Senior Stampede to the MTC. His schooling is done May 7ish. 

Koby, despite my anxious pleas to not to, won't be far behind.

They gotta do what they gotta do, but I am not fond of them making me grow up.

Let the internet paperworking/Bishop interviewing/girl heart-breaking games begin!

I don't know what to think.

It feels not real.
It feels like it's a fictional story.

The blessing in this for the family is that they did not have to make the decision.
Her husband did not have to make this decision.
I would not want to have to make that decision in a situation like this!

I will miss seeing her and chatting with her in stores as we try to keep our families fed.

I will miss all her crazy stories about all the stuff that her family has gone through in this life.

I will miss her even though I never see her much.

She passed away on her own today at about 4:54 p.m.

She was just one of those crazy, fun, real, 'this is how I am, take it or leave it' people.

I will miss her.

Christmas In . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2013!

WAIT. WAIT. WAIT.

Kyson is NOT READY!

She hasn't changed much since yesterday.

That's the word I got this afternoon.

I don't quite know what to think about this.

It seems the antibiotics would have the infections under control by now, and
she should be improving quickly.

That's not the case so far. Sheesh.

She might make it.

Wow, that's not quite something you'd expect to hear about a perfectly happy, healthy 42 yearish old.

They've got her temp stabilized to 102, and they might let her come out of her coma.

They think she might live.

Holy Cow.

Instead, you'd think you'd be hearing something like, she's really sick, but she'll be home soon.

Burglary Report Follow-up

The driver of the car that was at my house to burglarize it was arrested a couple of weeks ago. He was so stoned in his arrest picture that I could not recognize him.

But, he admitted to several burglaries. Like 10 ish.

A cop just called me to let me know that the passenger of that burglary attempt is now in custody.

Thanks to my report and the license plate number of the car that I got, they were able to close in on these guys! ! !

Yay! I love getting thugs their rightful karma.

The cop that called me is a different cop than the one that took my report and declared them unrelated, but today's cop said that the first cop had actually put both reports under the same incident number, that's how they had me linked to the family that got burglarized the same day as my incident.

It turns out that this idiot really DID have an uncle in my neighborhood. We even spent a week at Lake Powell with the uncle back in the day. He even lives within a stones throw from my house.

It also turns out that he is facebook friends with my niece, and several of her neighbors. A couple of  this kids friends swim with my sons on the high school team.

It looks like they got him on at least 5 burglaries, and his bond is set for over $60,000.

I hope none of his family is stupid enough to pay that for him. He needs to sit in jail for awhile.

Swine Flu?

is supposedly going around?

I just found out a long time friend of mine got the swine flu last week or the week before, but they figured out it was swine flu the day after Christmas.

Well, then it developed into double pneumonia, and strep throat.

She is only 42 ish, and she is in the ICU right now fighting for her life.

We worked together at Frostop, but after she got married, they lived in my ward for awhile till our ward got split. So, when we see each other in Wmart or somewhere, we will catch up on stuff. I just saw her shopping a couple of weeks ago!

They are putting ice blankets on her to keep her temp. down from the 104 that it wants to stay at.
They are afraid of brain damage.
They have her on the highest dose of steroids they can give her.
Her oxygen levels are below 80 and that could cause her to die if they go much lower.
She is on oxygen and and a machine is breathing for her.
She is in a sleep coma so she doesn't move around and fight all the tubes in her.

Monday night, they didn't expect her to make it through the night! ! ! !

Her grandfather is my step father in law. He is very worried about her.

She has 5 kids from ages 9 to 19 that are being cared for by her in laws while her mother spends every minute by her side.

Yikes. I am an anxious mess now. Waiting to hear any news. . . .. . .