Forecast: Rain

Woo Hoo! It rained last night and today.



That is all.



I love a nice, rainy day that doesn't make my roof leak.

This photo is little Amanda + Monica in '98, celebratin' the rain!!

When the Ladies Get Together...

Wouldn't it be nice if we could

all get away whenever life gets a little stressful at home? Well, that is just what prompted my mother and sister to come to California and relax!! Mom has
been suggesting a Girls' Trip for
a couple of years now,

but it takes my sister to get things going in the right direction! She did a great job.

We shopped locally at the malls, then went to LA to see the stage production of Wicked at the Pantages Theatre. Kairle Ann's hubby scored us seats in the 2nd row...center stage!! The next day, we drove to San Diego, stayed 2 nights at a nice hotel and shopped and ate beautiful food. The big finale was having my evil big sister drop me off at the Amtrak Station in Oceanside. Just kidding...the train ride was just another breezy way to spend my mini-vacation. I hated to see my ladies leave California!!

(click on the pictures to see larger image)

Cream cheese Mints

When James and I were married, I had a bad habit of not sending Thank You notes to my gift-givers. I'm not quite that girl anymore, but I hope that my lacking etiquette didn't offend too many. James and I were appreciative of everything we got for our wedding--especially the beautiful wooden plaque with our photo and the Los Angeles Temple. I had to throw that in, because the card had fallen off, and we couldn't even thank you---even IF I had used my engraved Thank You notes. But that is not exactly why I'm posting today. I have another tried-and-true wedding gift that I have to share my feelings about. The gift-givers were ladies in my home ward at church (I still have their gift card). I love these ladies, and that they thought my husband and I would start out our marriage with homemade candy makes me appreciate them more! Thank you: Lois Axford, Barbara Murdoch, Joan Walters and Susan Walters. The book? Candymaking, by Ruth Kendrick and Pauline Atkinson. It has been a treasure. Yesterday, my girls were wanting a mint we had made last Easter. I said I'd find the recipe and it was theirs for the making! We made Cream Cheese Mints. So simple. Even if the recipe says to use a wooden spoon, a little patience and a KitchenAid mixer together does the work for you. And we double the recipe every time. Since Monica was the instigator, she was the one to finish off the product by rolling the little mint balls in sugar (I pressed them with the fork). I love that my girls relate this recipe to home. My childhood memories of the little Cream Cheese Mints goes back to wedding receptions with BYU Wedding Punch. That punch is hauntingly delicious...especially when it is SKY BLUE.