Cook's Week

We had a fun week! Here's a few pics -- some of you may have seen these on IG already. 

July 24th celebration with a special live band and fireworks. It was behind the Orem Mall. We were with the Webre's but I don't have the group photo. Clara likes the lights in the sky but not so much the noise so we watched the last half of the show from the car. 

Why didn't somebody tell me to take the junk out of my pockets?? Half day at the museum of natural curiosity on Thursday. The four of us were all roommates together at BYU-I. I hadn't seen Natalie (blue shirt) since our college days so that was really fun to see her! Look at all these kids!

Short hike up Payson canyon. It was a really easy hike but so much to see! Beautiful! It's called "The Grotto"

Clara loves bath time!

She was chowing down on some 85% dark chocolate. We were surprised she kept asking for more!

Ayla Then and Now

Can time please slow down???

New Bread Recipe

I tried a new bread recipe today and give it two thumbs up!

Here is the original recipe.... I'll add my tweeks in below, although I think the original would be great!

Brown Sugar Bread

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup warm water
• 7 tsp active dry yeast -- or 2 TBS and 1 tsp
• 1/4 cup bread flour
• 1 tablespoon white sugar
• 2 cups quick cooking oats
• 2 cups whole wheat flour

• 4 1/2 cups warm water
• 1 1/2 tablespoons salt
• 2/3 cup brown sugar
• 2/3 cup vegetable oil
• 10 cups bread flour

Directions

1. In the mixing bowl of an electric mixer, stir together 1/2 cup warm water, 1 tablespoon sugar, 1/4 cup bread flour, and yeast. Let grow for about 5 minutes. It will bubble almost immediately.
2. Measure oats, 4 1/2 cups warm water, whole wheat flour, salt, 2/3 cup sugar, and 2/3 cup oil into the mixing bowl. Mix on low speed with a dough hook for 1 to 2 minutes. Increase speed slightly, and begin adding bread flour 1/2 to 1 cup at a time until dough pulls away from sides of bowl. Humidity determines how much flour you need before the bread pulls away from the edge of the bowl. It is normal for the dough to be sticky.
3. Place dough in an oiled bowl, and turn to coat the surface. Cover with a damp cloth. Let rise in a warm spot for 1 hour, or until doubled in size.
4. Divide dough into 6 pieces. Shape loaves, and place in greased 8 x 4 inch pans. Let rise until dough is 1 inch above rim of pans, usually 1 hour.
5. Bake at 350 degrees F ( 175 degrees C) for 35 minutes, (Mine only cooked for about 28 minutes) or until tops are browned. Let cool in pans for 10 minutes, and then turn out onto wire racks to cool completely.

I didn't have instant oats but I DID have a box of maple brown sugar oatmeal packets in the cupboard so about 7 of those packets went in instead. Also I only had about 5 cups of bread flour so I used 2 cups wheat flour, 5 cups bread flour, 5 cups all purpose flour.  Other than that I followed the recipe as directed. I added in some cinnamon chips to a few loafs and I am pretty sure that is going to be THE BEST toast. Cinnamon/Maple/Brown sugar. YUM!

Tony Grove with Josh's Cousins

We had a fun day at Tony Grove with Josh's cousins. It was SO crowded there, I've never seen so many people at Tony Grove. There was still plenty of beach to sit on and lake to kayak on. We did still get ourselves a spot to roast some hotdogs and marshmallows so it was a great time!

Tolman Girls' Outing July 2017 and Patsy's Mine

For this years' Tolman Girls' outing, we again headed to Bear Lake. But to kick off our adventure, we met with ALL the available siblings/wives to celebrate Mom's 75th birthday. We had a Maddox takeout dinner at our house and it was a total surprise for mom. It was very fun. I know someone has better pictures, but here's a pic of the siblings. 

Then the girls headed off to Mantua Reservoir to do a little kayaking and biking. It was all very fun.

Leanna has this selfie thing down!

Mountain trail behind the Mantua Reservoir.

After the Mantua adventures, we decided we just HAD to visit Stinky Springs (west of Corinne). It's quite a dump, but we had quite a few giggles. We decided winter would be a better time to visit, as the water was HOT! 

We could feel that mineral water curing all our ailments! :)

Then it was off to Bear Lake where a fun time was had just relaxing, hiking, building puzzle and attending the Pickleville play Shrek the Musical (not my favorite), but still well-done.

I found a piece!

Raspberry shakes at La Beau's, of course!

Hiking

Enjoying wonderful food on Julie's cabin's deck

A good time was had by all!

Julie invited me on another family adventure to go hiking up to Patsy's Mine in Bountiful. We decided the hike would have been more enjoyable on a less-hot day, but the mine was pretty cool (in more ways than one).

Julie, Me and Bridger in front of Patsy's Mine

Here we go!

Glad we have a light!

I enjoy caves and mines and such, so it was fun checking out this one. It wasn't all that big, but had a diversion or two to check out. It had some dripping water and puddles to traverse along the way. Bridger was sure we would run into some bats, but alas, no bats!

So there's my summer adventures to date (July 23rd). I've also fit in a couple of cabin trips. I'm a very lucky girl!

August is looking very fun, so I'll post the second half of the summer adventures later.

Summer Fun

Well, the summer is more than half over, so I suppose it's time to blog some of the summer activities so far. A couple of friends and Julie and I have formed a Monday "Girls just Wanna Have Fun" group. So we try to schedule an adventure every Monday that we have available.

We started off the last week in May by hiking to the Willard Falls, which was a first for us, and we thought it was a pretty amazing hike! A little rock scrambling involved, but it was definitely worth it!

Erin Valberg myself and Joan Argyle

Hunter joined us as well.

Then in June we hiked Adams Falls in the Layton area. It's a fun hike to a waterfall, and you have to cross a pretty wide river at the very end to see the falls. We were prepared by taking our water shoes. The water was FREEZING as we traipsed across, but it was a great hike.

Crossing the river at the end of the hike. Waterfall is just around the corner (sorry no pic).

Nice spot along the hike. Joan Argyle and Julie are with me.

The next adventure was kayaking the Bear River. We put in at the Bear River City bridge, and took out in Corinne. It took us about 3 hrs.

Joan Argyle and I, Julie and Sherrie Webb

 It's a very relaxing, no adrenaline cruise along the muddy Bear River. Once in a while great scenery comes up like the following car.

In July we biked the Centennial Bike Trail in Ogden. Hunter and his friend Dallin came along. That's one of my favorite trails because it's scenic and shady for most of it. Sorry no pic. Instead here's a pic of Leanna and I riding to play pickleball on a different day. I should say that pickleball has been a big part of my summer. I play most every morning that I am home with a group of ladies and gentlemen down at the courts. Love it!!!

Of course we had Jill and family here for a week. Lots of fun was had then and pictures of that week can be found on social media. Here's the pic again of the cute Webre grandkids. They are all accounted for except Alden, who is only days old.

Cute Mother's Day Poem by Heather

Heather gave me this darling poem that she made up for Mother's Day. It's gratifying to see that my poetic skills were passed on in the family.😃 It's so cute, that I thought I'd share it with you all...

You've had thirty-two years of motherhood now,
Only four years for me, and I've gotta say..."WOW!"
This isn't a job for the weak or the lazy,
It's a challenging feat. My kids drive me crazy.
And every time when I think they're the WORST,
I have to remember, you went through this first.
You cleaned up the messes, and wiped up the snot,
You played referee when your little ones fought,
You struggled to know how to scold and to teach,
When the answers were usually different for each.
You taught us piano, put up with our moans,
Supported our interests and gave us small loans,
You showed us the value of getting work done,
But also allowed us to have lots of fun!
You set an example of loving the Lord,
You took on tough callings in every ward.
You battled through church with a lap full of throw-up,
You probably had times when you wished we'd just grow up!
You survived all those years and you did it with class,
Aren't you amazed by how quickly they passed?
When it comes to mom stuff, I'll admit I am lost,
I hope that my kids aren't paying the cost.
But when I'm discouraged, without any clue,
I just have to think, what would MY mother do?
I trust your advice, because you're so smart,
But more so because you have such a big heart.
Years have passed, your kids are (almost) all grown,
And I'll never forget all the love that you've shown.
You're really a gem, you're unlike any other,
I am so very blessed to have YOU for my mother!

Best Movie Trailer Ever!

Lopez Island Cook Reunion

What a fun week we've had! It was super hard to come home. We flew to Seattle Saturday morning, went and picked up our 2011 Premium Subaru Outback (which we purchased from an auction) and then headed to Lopez Island.  Here are some pictures from our trip. My explanations will be brief.

Kayaking to "small island" was fun. The seagulls have claimed this island as their own and there are more than a dozen seals that hang out here too. We got really close to a 5-6 seals before they got scared and went into the water. It was SUPER cool. Even when we were up close I thought they were big logs at first and then I started noticing their faces!! I didn't have my camera at that time so I tried to get a picture later but this guy was the only one brave enough to hang out for a photo. 

 Just enjoying ourselves and the view. <3 <3

Clara was in heaven roaming the property. She loves exploring new places and having so many different distractions. Coming home was really hard for her too. 

Watching Britains got talent with Grandpa

This family sure knows how to do games. We were all rolling on the ground several times in laughter playing the name game. We also had fun playing Fibbage and Drawful. 

Mount Constitution on Orcas Island was fantastic! Amazing views of surrounding islands. 

This was at the top of a lookout tower.

Lake Moran was gorgeous and I'm so happy the weather cooperated!

We took a little hike around the lake to do some cliff jumping. 

Ferry rides to Orcas Island and back to Lopez. 

Fun little pond on the property behind the house. It was slightly colder than a swimming pool. I took a short dip and then I was too cold to enjoy any longer. In Utah's 100 degree weather right now I WISH I had this in my backyard. 

Awww yeaah! Grandpa going down the slip n slide!

Tinfoil dinners on the waterfront. This spot is also on the property. When it got dark enough we could see the plankton glowing in the water! First time I've seen the bioluminescence. Josh got in a kayak and started paddling around and it was amazing to see. I tried to get video but couldn't see it on my phone.

Jerilyn and I went to Friday Harbor (on the big island of San Juan). We spent about 3 hours there and got to explore some fun shops and get some fun treats. It was just the cutest little town!!

They have a nice museum all about whales and mostly Orcas. Apparently Orcas first started being researched here in the San Juan islands. 

Check out these ice cream flavors! Mango pistachio and honey lavender were just a couple of the unique ones. They had i think 42 different flavors total. 

On the way home Josh dropped me off at Pike Place Market and i got to wander around for an hour. What a neat place! I love it! It was especially cool to go there after reading the book "FiSH!" I loved seeing the fresh flowers EVERYWHERE. They just went on and on for like 2 blocks.