Welcome 2022! We rang in the New Year with family. Jaime, our daughter, and three of her kids came for a visit.
early on Jan. 4 as they started
their journey back to Farmington, Minnesota
It became a long adventure. Planning for Winter weather, they changed out the wiper blades just before leaving town. The roads were open when they started through Provo Canyon but by the time they reached Evanston, WY the roads were closed. They were directed to go back to Ogden Canyon and go to Idaho Falls, ID and then Butte Montana and up and over to Minnesota and they would bypass the storm. It was a good route it just added many hours to their journey. The 18 hour drive turned into about 30 but they arrived home safe and we were very grateful. It was a good trip for everyone and we loved having them visit. Abby met Nathan and that relationship is blossoming - we look forward to seeing what happens. Unfortunately, two of them contracted Covid-19 and got some extra vacation time when they got home.
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| changing wiper blades |
Brooklyn Otto (a former missionary) and Weston Graham were married Jan. 5 and we attended their reception. A beautiful Winter Wonderland was created and the most amazing cookie bar with hot chocolate. Happy for this new family!
NEW YEAR means NEW GOALS for WELLNESS AND HEALTH
I will share a few ideas and recipes. I am very basic and not gourmet in my cooking. So, these are easy ideas.
Vegetables with Seasoned Cream Cheese
Add 1-2 Tablespoons Everything Bagel Seasoning to 8 oz. softened Cream Cheese. Mix together until smooth.
Great on celery, carrots, cucumbers, zucchini, etc.
Everything Bagel Seasoning is available at Costco, Aldi, Trader Joes and other similar places. If you have not tried it now is the time to go get some!
We are limiting our bread foods and these chaffle buns are a great change for a hamburger bun or sandwich.
CHAFFLE
2 eggs, beaten
1/2 cup grated cheese
1 Tbl. bacon pieces
Salt & Pepper to taste
Mix all together.
Place 1/4 in mini waffle maker. Cook until nicely browned.
Continue to make 4 total. (Make sure you spray the waffle iron with oil)
Grated Cheese
Dill Pickle slices
Place about 1 Tbl. cheese in each muffin tin hole.
Put Dill Pickle slice on top.
Top with additional 1 Tbl. cheese to cover.
Bake 350* for about 15 min. until melted and crisp
Remove from muffin tin.
I like them warm and cold. They will store in fridge and can be reheated or eaten cold.
Finding that it was a crows foot pattern was the first hurdle. Then off to the paint store to find the correct tools to get the job done. Amazing what a $10 tool can do to get the job done right.
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| Cheese Dill Pickle While I am showing food, we are getting better every week serving the students lunch at Ignite Academy.  Our new student favorite 5 lbs. cooked chicken 1 lb. cream cheese 1 cup Salsa Verde Cook chicken and shred Quick tip for shredding: put meat in mixer bowl with beater attachment. Mix until shredded. Add Cream Cheese and Salsa Verde Put 1-2 oz. on edge of flour tortilla Roll tightly Place on sheet pan. Brush with oil. Bake 400* for 9 min Serve with favorite dipping sauces. I made fresh Pepper Jelly - So Good!   Toasted Cheese Sandwich with Homemade Chicken Noodle Soup We traveled to Wichita, Kansas to visit Brian and his family. He had a Home Project he needed some help with - repairing the ceiling after water damage. The pictures are in reverse order from finish to start |
We then flew home via DFW and then Salt Lake City. It is still hard to get used to flying through DFW and not getting off the plane and being "home".
Wichita, Kansas Airport
The new Josh and Julie Grimmett home. They live in a revitalized neighborhood of Portland and it is so quaint and within walking distance to shopping, transportation, and schools.
We started Wednesday morning with a hike to Multnomah Falls. It was a chilly overcast morning and perfect for the little hike up to the Falls. I love how plush it is even in Winter and the green moss on the trees. There is something about Waterfalls that are fascinating to see - maybe because I grew up in Twin Falls, Idaho it is in my blood. It is peaceful and spectacular all in one.
There are a few people who come into your life that become like family to you and David and Heidi
We ended the month with a trip to Portland, OR to visit Joshua and his family in their new home.
We had only been to Portland one time and it was just an overnight trip that we saw Portland at night and our Hotel and Airport. We have had a full schedule every day of seeing so many sights in the Pacific Northwest. One of our favorite experiences of the visit was to spend time with family and get a feel for their surroundings and new home. Josh and Julie are so talented in interior design and have already made it into a home.
We started our trip with driving to Twin Falls, ID and stopping for lunch with my brother Tad and his wife Kris at the legendary Buffalo Cafe. The Best Breakfast menu and food with Idaho Charm. Such good memories of my Mom and Dad. So grateful to be in a place to be able to stop and see family and share stories and memories.
We continued our trip to Ontario, Oregon and stayed with my Sister Brooke and her husband, Kirt. She greeted us with the most delicious Roast Beef Chili and cornbread and then a night of games. We have so much fun when we are together and I laugh more when I am with them - it is good for my soul. We got in a few good movies, more good food, games and long gospel centered discussions on topics we have all been studying. Truly a time of spiritual and physical renewal. We got to visit the Withers Dairy and get fresh raw milk and farm eggs. We were so excited to find out she was from Germany and she invited to come back and visit. We spent a few hours with them and they shared their story and we shared our memories of Germany as well. It was a delightful time and we look forward to future visits.
My Sister is the halfway point to Portland and it makes the trip so much easier for us and the bonus of spending time with them as well.
We were then off to Portland and the beauty of the Northwest. Picture Bomb:
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| Mountain Skyline |
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| Logging Yard |
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| Jamie, Shannon, Josh on the ferry to Seattle |
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| Puget Sound Ferry Crossing |
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| first view of Seattle |
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| Shannon at Gum Alley |
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| Fish Market |
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| Amazon Building |
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| Water Houses |
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| Seattle Temple |
Even on a cloudy day as we arrived at the Seattle Temple grounds the sun was shining on the steeple and it was so beautiful. Within 10 minutes the sun was gone and evening set in. It was the perfect ending to a wonderful day in Seattle.
We spent Tuesday in and around Portland. It brought back a lot of memories of living in Germany/Austria and walking and riding Public Transportation. We walked about a mile and caught the train to downtown and then walked all through the City Center. We visited the famous Powell's Bookstore and oh what an experience. It is 3 stories and whole city block - almost like a library - but the books are for sale. We all found something of interest to buy. I have been studying Genesis in the Bible and I was drawn to A BRIEF HISTORY OF TIME by Stephen Hawking. I will let you know what I learn another time.
One of the highlights was finding the Food Trucks and each trying a different food. I had a falafel gyro and Russ opted for Street Tacos. Let's just say it was amazing food. We visited with some of the locals who were also eating and got a little feel for the City. Josh has researched and explored the City for the past year and has given us great tour of the area.
Fun Building in downtown Portland
We have driven from one end to the other winding through the streets from the mountains to the rivers and it has been so fun. We also ended this day with a drive by The Portland Temple.
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| Portland Temple |
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| view of the River Valley |
Blanchard are some of those people to us. We met and served with them during our time in Freiburg, Germany. They continue to be an example and influence for good in our lives. We were able to spend most of Wednesday with them at their home in Carlton, Oregon. Oh, what a day it was. The best toasted cheese sandwich I have ever had (not just because of the Tillamook Cheese) but the love that went into the whole meal. We played games, shared memories, laughed and cried - grateful for being together again - even for just a few hours.
FOOD! FOOD! and more FOOD!
Josh made a homemade Chicken Pot Pie - a mile high and so delicious. He watches a cooking show of 19th Century cooking. He has perfected this chicken pie down to the crust. Layers of goodness!
Log on the beach that has been there a long time that fills with water in high tide. Nice place for people to be creative.
The Meares Lighthouse. It is one of only two eight-sided lights in the United States. The other is in Hawaii. Shaped like. giant beehive, the outer surface of the lens is made o prisms, that end the light into a narrow beam. The beam then passes through a magnifying glass, or bull's eye, a the center of each side that intensifies it, producing a brilliant sheet of light visible for 21 miles. The original light was a heavy bronze five-wick kerosene lantern.
FOOD! FOOD! and more FOOD!
This trip has had some amazing food.
We have had so much amazing food. Traveling has been a great adventure. Our time is coming to a close in Oregon. We spent our final day with a trip to the Coast to see the ocean beaches and a little hiking through the forest. The trees were so fascinating with their intertwined roots with two or three trees growing together. Many of the trees are over 200 years old. A few of the pictures will show this as well as habitats for many animals. We watched surfing, birds, beautiful sunset, a lighthouse, majestic cliffs and delicious food from our visit to the Tillamook Cheese factory. We got our 10,000 steps in today - just in time to enjoy our tour of the cheese factory and a late lunch at their on-sight restaurant of all things cheese. We bypassed the ice cream counter and went straight to the freezer and shared a pint of dark chocolate raspberry. What were we thinking???? It was so good!
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| Trees in the forest |
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| Birds watching us eat |
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| cliffs with fishing boat |
Nine lighthouses were built along the Oregon coast in the late 1800's. Each light had its own "signature" to help mariners navigate. Lighting along the coast was designed to keep a ship within sight of a light at all times.
Tillamook is part of a local Dairy Co-op from farms in the area that benefit from the lush conditions of rain and moderate weather that provides ideal growing conditions for dairy farming. It was so interesting watching the process from start to finish of the cheese being made. We watched them process 40 pound block of cheese that are then stored in cold storage for 9 months to 6 years depending on medium to extra-sharp cheese. When ready they are then cut into smaller blocks, 1, 2, 5, 10 pound blocks for distribution to stores.
I close this month with a few final thoughts. As I mentioned earlier, I have been studying Genesis in the Bible and Moses and Abraham from The Pearl of Great Price since January. It has been an enlightening experience and I have learned so much from my studies. I love the quote that is pictured here. As I have traveled and have seen the majesty of God's Creations in so many forms, I continue to "stand all amazed" with all that I see. I am so grateful to know I am a daughter of Heavenly Father. I am one of His creations and as it says in Genesis - the creation of man and woman was good, very good. I have seen the stormy seas and have seen them calmed both literally and spiritually by Jesus Christ. He is at the helm and as we follow Him we will find peace. January is just the beginning of bright days ahead.
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| Sunset on the Ocean |
The Tillamook Cheese Factory:
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| Photo Op |
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| Assembly line shrink wrapping 40 lb. blocks |
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| Smaller blocks of cheese being cut |
Much Love,
The Grimmett's
Amazing as always
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