summer?

The Oranges are ripe on one of the trees in our backyard!

and it is 72 degrees!!

What is this? I am trying to get it the Christmas Spirit!

DECK THE HALLS

Can't sleep again (drat) but tomorrow it is time to

Deck the Halls!

books

Let's see if I can remember what I read this summer

"The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society" (loved it)
"The Time Travelers Wife" (way too many f words)
"The Book Thief" (don't let the concept stop you)
"Train to Potevka"(bought this at a little booksigning)
"Iceberg" (a small Clive Cussler)
"Enders Game" (better late than never)
"1984" ( I know, way way late)
and I am still working on "Blink" and "My Grandfathers Blessings"

I also fell in love with another cookbook,"The Enchanted Brocolli Forest"(currently searching) that Allison introduced me to so I lent her my current favorite youth books,
" Go Saddle the Sea","Bridle the Wind" and "The Teeth of the the Gale" by Joan Aiken.

Connie and Doug

http://www.ldschurchnews.com/articles/58206/Missionary-Training-Center-presidents.html

Not big

no big deal
fall is here
nothing to say really
just wanted a change
elephant

that was kind of like a Haiku only NOT at all

Still and Always

" My truck --no headers" David Harrison Cutler

Okay, so he says all it is is headers. It really does have headers --no muffler. He doesn't know what He was thinking at the time. But I still like the quote so I kept it but I had to add this correction at his instruction.

How's this for my first "movie" btw?

Kitchen Resolve

As part of my resolve to update/get rid of junk in my kitchen I purchased an inexpensive cast iron pot from Ikea. (I had been eyeballing them at discount stores like Homegoods and Tuesday Morning for several months now dragging my feet and keeping it a low priority. ) It is blue.
I promptly lost the carefully saved directions for seasoning the pot.
Also, since it has been 6 years or so since my "outdoor days" in Colorado and my entire life prior to that in Idaho, I can't seem to remember anything except you have to treat it very particularly. So I have looked it up and posted instructions here.
I know Allison has a Cast iron pot so she might benefit from reading this too.

-begining of boring instructions
Seasoning Cast Iron
New Pans
Heat the oven to 250 - 300
Coat the pan with lard or bacon grease.(Don't use a liquid vegetable oil because it will leave a sticky surface and the pan will not be properly seasoned.) ( I hear shortening will work, that's what I am using)
Put the pan in the oven.( turn on the exhaust fan) In 15 minutes, remove the pan & pour out any excess grease. ( I hear wipe with towel to toss or paper towel). Place the pan back in the oven and bake for 2 hours.
Repeating this process several times is recommended as it will help create a stronger "seasoning" bond.
Also, when you put the pan into service, it is recommended to use it initially for foods high in fat, such as bacon or foods cooked with fat,( and not with high water content like pasta etc.) because the grease from these foods will help strengthen the seasoning.

Pans needing Re-Seasoning
If the pan was not seasoned properly or a portion of the seasoning wore off and food sticks to the surface or there is rust, then it should be properly cleaned and re-seasoned.
Remove any food residue by cleaning the pan thoroughly with hot water and a scouring pad. I understand that heating the pan first to a temperature that is still safe to touch helps open the pores of the metal and makes it easier to clean.
Dry the pan immediately with dish towel or paper towel.
Season the pan as outlined above.

Caring for Cast Iron Cookware
Seasoning a cast iron pan is a natural way of creating non-stick cookware. And, like you cook and clean the modern non-stick cookware with special care to avoid scratching the surface, your cast iron cookware wants some special attention too.
Clean the cookware while it is still hot by rinsing with hot water and scraping when necessary. Do not use a scouring pad or soap (detergent) as they will break down the pan's seasoning.
Never store food in the cast iron pan as the acid in the food will breakdown the seasoning and the food will take on a metallic flavor.
Store your cast iron cookware with the lids off, especially in humid weather, because if covered, moisture can build up and cause rust. Should rust appear, the pan should be re-seasoned.


-the end

Blue Pot

I don't think teflon flakes are a food group or are considered a form of seasoning.



Sunday, Rachel invited a Date to sunday dinner. I did not have enough drinking glasses that matched and several of the spoons had been chewed rough by the garbage disposal. My prior resolve edged way up on my priority list.



On Tuesday we did a RS craft project that etched the bottom of our clear glass cassarole dishes with our names. Mine has a big chip in it (a no-no)and brown grease speckles around the edges, needless to say I did not take it. (Two more notches in the rankings.)


Danny doesn't think his apartment of college boys needs my old dishes. ( Now it bursts to the top of the list)


With " the Holidays" coming up and the fact I am supposed to be a grown-up now I am borowing a car to go to Tuesday Morning right now.


I now have a box of stuff to donate. If they will take it.


I read somewhere that it is quite fashionable to use rambling sentences-- like talking.

Mansion? Cathedral? Old Stone Church?

What a beautiful old building and Church yard. What a wonderful historical site, it's just the kind of place I love. We will really have to go there again, Allison.

We just happened upon this during our quest for stick balls/shopping. (Ask Allison that story someday.)
Where they are is still a mystery.

Columbia

Ian and Allison Kelly on the Campus of Columbia University where Ian has landed in his quest to ever stretch and grow. I know I linked to a post already on this but in viewing that post I felt the need to go and see for myself. So I did.

I Waited

Here is Eliza's post on

"Eno an' Columbia"
I knew if I waited she would make an excellent one and me with no camera could steal it in a link so check this and rejoice.


http://www.dawesome.org/2009/09/prayers-are-answered/

Hip Hip Hurray!

Allison passed(no surprise yet awsome) the NCLEX

also known as "the big scarey nurse's test".

She is now officially a Registered Nurse!

This is huge!

The East is just too dang far away

Allison got a new haircut and a new calling and the flu.
Ian starts his graduate work at Columbia University this week

Danny Rocks

Danny got a Presidential Scholarship to SCC!!
lacked about 100 bucks of full tuition

Can i make this blog a brag blog? Humm guess i can

David rules

100.0% A+
Spanish II
87.0% B+
English II
96.0% A
Math Topics 3
100.0% A+
Chemistry
100.0% A+
Acc Office Application


okay so its only been a couple of weeks i"m still proud of him

Happy Birthday Mom!

Got wet huh?!
What a day.
Love you.

Carefree Highway

I'm back. (We actually drove back into the valley via the "Carefree Highway". )

Here is a glimpse of my summer.

Not much else 'cause I have a broken camera.

Wild Horses

This is Keith blogging on Vickie's behalf since she is on vacation. Well, let me show you David's first car. It's a stock 1972 Ford Bronco. Sport model with Explorer trim, 302 V8, original interior and it's UNCUT, which means a lot to Bronco fans. Just google "uncut Ford Bronco" and you'll see what I mean. What do you think? Here's an interior shot, too.

Absentee

I've run away to the north. V

Bonding over water-guns

Does that title make sense?

The pictures will help. So we had two darling twin girls who turned 12 the first day of girls camp this year. They are darling, yes, and SHY. I, however, witnessed a rare and wonderful miracle occur last week...that's right, bonding over water-guns. These girls opened up, came out of their shells, overcame their shyness, whatever you want to call it, as they led the pack in some really fun water fights:) It was great and I'm so happy we snagged a few photos. I love these girls. All YW leaders say that-- because it's TRUE I can't help it. What fun. And the twins and the other yw are all buds now. It's a great thing. I'm so glad I got to go this year. (I just got released and put into Primary full time.) What a way to go out in style!

Filling up at the pump. And the ensuing battle. Check out the mid-air water shot.
Check out that FACE! Wow that is awesome. I had never even seen this photo until I uploaded my pics just now. I call that a game face, people. Sweet.

I recommend this to all my Arizona-land family. You can resort to cups and buckets if you need to. Super-soakers would be ideal. Game on!

NY in the rain

Did anyone know that it's been raining all summer so far here in NY? Now you know! (say this like on Bill Nye the Science Guy. Points if you can do this, lemme know if you can:) ) Anyway, during part of this rainy summer my old friend Barb came to visit, I'm sure y'all know her, you may not know her daughter London (I didn't until this trip). Well we toured NYC in the RAIN and I thought it would make for a cute post. This is Barb and London in all the RAIN. And we took the subways in this rain. and walked 40 blocks. No I'm not joking. Part of the trip was to walk down 5th ave and window shop. And so we did. Woo hoo!It did slow up for the Statue of Liberty though. Well, the Staten Island Ferry, that is. The best way to see the Lady if you ask me. Free too.
Here we are on the windy ferry. The guy taking the picture must not have noticed the small child in Barb's arms, or decided we didn't want to capture her in the memory, so we only have her forehead. Ha ha that still makes me laugh a little:)
Yay for friends! We also saw Phantom of the Opera on Broadway (amazing voices. amazing. and yes, the chandelier drop is still the best part. I remembert that from when I was LITTLE. how little was I Mom, you remember?) and ate Grimaldi's pizza under the Brooklyn Bridge. Still my favorite no matter what other places crop up claiming to be better. I love NY:) Anyone up for some rain?

Harry Potter Rocks

Proof that I did not mind in the least manning the craft table three days in a row at girls camp. Do you like em? Oh and yes, the title of this post reads two ways, take your pick. (get it?) By the way the movie came out today. Going tomorrow. Had to finish re-re-reading the book first.

Sending my LOVE to YOU!!

Something new

It has been far too long since something new was posted here. Not that I feel like saying much myself. We are all a little quieter these days.

I had a strange birthday this year. Only my second one in Arizona and I will admit it was a little lackluster...but that bit was my fault. I normally get more pumped up for my birthday and I didn't make enough effort to see the fireworks. And fireworks, I realized, equal my birthday. I did catch a few minutes of them from afar off in the desert, but I missed the oohing and aahing and the loud booms. My birthday also usually equals bbq-ing with friends or family. Mom asked me if I wanted to do something, but I shrugged it off. I think this Thursday I will try to make up for that by having some people over to pool party it up. We ate as a family at an Ethiopian restaurant, which was fabulous. That particular cuisine is something I discovered back in my Colorado lawn care days the summer before we moved to Arizona. Very fun stewed vegetarian and meat dishes that you eat by scooping it up with pieces of a thin pancake-like bread called injera. Yum and yum. Night hike in the desert topped off the day, and it was great. The desert is beautiful, even if you can only venture out in it at night. No pictures for now.

Old as she was, she still missed her daddy sometimes. ~Gloria Naylor

My Sister's Birthday today

Happy Birthday, Connie!

(Under labels click on "Connie" to see past posts )

She took funny care of me at the dock on the Grijalda river like no one else could have, comfortably anyway.

This has always been so with us. v

How do people make it through life without a sister? ~Sara Corpening

A sister can be seen as someone who is both ourselves and very much not ourselves - a special kind of double. ~Toni Morrison

Children of the same family, the same blood, with the same first associations and habits, have some means of enjoyment in their power, which no subsequent connections can supply... ~Jane Austen, Mansfield Park, 1814


There can be no situation in life in which the conversation of my dear sister will not administer some comfort to me. ~Mary Montagu

When sisters stand shoulder to shoulder, who stands a chance against us? ~Pam Brown

Twenty Years and counting

It all started back in the day...
Way back in 1980 something the Cutler's moved to Colorado, went to the State Fair, and started taking old time photos of the family. The first ones were actually with an antique camera and some of the photos have suffered because of that process. It became a yearly tradition and long after we were no longer able to attend the state fair we sought out sights and took our shots. One year it was at Devil's tower Wyoming. One year of necessity it was in our backyard here in Gilbert (our first year with Ian) and this year we spotted a booth at Six Flags Amusement Park in New Jersey and-- Ta Da!


Be afraid, be very afraid.

Yes, even more!

We drove to a subway stop 'cause there was no parking near the stadium lawn at Lehman College, and after the ceremony we felt like celebrating which means getting slightly silly.

Yes, more graduation pics- I just can't seem to stop. We goofed around at the subway stop. I love this picture.

Yahoo!

NYC Graduation

it takes courage to grow up and become who you really are

~e.e. cummings

to be nobody but yourself in a world which is doing
its best, night and day, to make you everybody else means to fight the hardest battle which any human being can fight; and never stop fighting

~e.e. cummings, 1955

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{{}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}{{{...heres' a link to "Dawsome" about Allison that i love

http://www.dawesome.org/index.php?s=graduation

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Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented,fabulous?-- Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small does not serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won't feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine, as children do. We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It is not just in some of us; it is in everyone. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others. ~Marianne Williamson, A Return to Love

David

The Rover has been David's pet project and it has undergone some serious redoing, note the cool new top for one most obvious thing. David passed the exam and now has his drivers permit.

Keith doen't seem to want his youngest to grow up, or he is encouraging growth in his own unique way?

Elder Cutler

Dear Family

San francisco de limache is thrilling. the weather is nice, real nice. and there´s brown and orange leaves all over the ground. The new president arrives around the 20th i think.

I saw a news clip about the supreme court justice, which seems radical. every latino down here loves Obama, and the news of a latina was quite thrilling for all.

this week we met a family of 3, the mom is a less active, and the dad and son are legit. the kid´s 9 and way smart, and they accepted baptism dates, so that´s radical, the wife is hyped.

elder owen is a hard worker, and walks faster then all the comps i´ve had, and works harder than them all, diligent and obedient. he´s from sandy, ut.

let david get a bike, he more than deserves it. but he has to give my leather jacket back (if that´s mine in the pics) you look like a thug dave. what do you do nowadays? stay positive bro and never doubt. yourself or anything. do what you know to be right and live your life. i don´t really know what to say. but i really love you guys, ok? just be happy everyone.

Love Elder Cutler

.

.

PS from vickie- Danny is struggling right now, this is a hard time in the Mission I guess too.

Coney Island

More party in NYC.



We decided we had never been to Coney island and that it must be about time.

Well yup, it's all true what you have heard. Nathan's does serve an excellent dawg, the ancient wooden coaster is a bone jolter, the Atlantic ocean is colder than the Pacific, and freak shows abound outside as well as inside on the Boardwalk.
Earlier in the week we had hit a flea market in Hell's Kitchen and David picked up a too cool leather jacket. Thus we were inspired for the above photo.













Here we are inline for the "Wonder Wheel" at Coney Island.












We picked the tilting rocking version of the cars of course.

It's all About Allison week continues!

Six Flags -nine roller coaster rides-one tired Mom

Superman -- one is strapped in actually laying down on your stomach to simulate superman flight

Nitro, my favorite,is the biggest coaster in Six Flags Great Adventure's history and the tallest on the east coast. (Except for the parks new Kingda-Ka) Nitro is another wonderful hypercoaster built by steel coaster master designers Bolliger and Mabillard of Switzerland. The coaster features a massive first drop of 230-feet, which is followed by seven camelbacks which produce plenty of airtime.

The height of the seven camelbacks starts at 189-feet.

Steel Hypercoaster, Out and Back

Height: 230 feet
Drop: 215 feet
Angle of descent: 66 degrees
Top speed: 80 mph
Length: 5,394 feet
Trains: 3 - 32 passenger

More About Nitro

7 Camelbacks, 1 Hammer Head, 1 S-Curve, 1 Highly-Banked Double Helix, Four Abreast Seating

Party at the Kelly's!

How many people can you fit into a one bedroom in the Bronx?

--or into a Toyota Corolla for that matter?

Luckily Ian made his world famous lemon bars again!

of course maybe if he would quit making them we would quit coming? naaw
Nurse Kelly!

Keith is a rock through it all.
(ask me about the "all" sometime when you have a few hours)