Tuesday, May 31, 2011
Friday, May 27, 2011
The Fastest Clean Kitchen in the West
As I mentioned in our blog the other day, our family from Idaho was down for a short morning nap on Thursday. There was our daughter, husband, 3 small children, aunt, and in-laws. So we had a houseful.
One of the traditions we really enjoy when visiting them is going over to the other grandma and grandpa's home on Saturday morning for breakfast. The kids pile in the wagon and we walk the 150 or so yards to grandma and grandpa's house. We've come to call it "the Bradley breakfast," and what a feast it is. We always leave with our appetites sated and the walk back home is slower as we exhibit more of a waddle.
We anticipated this as our chance to reward those Bradley breakfast events with a McLean breakfast. Now a traditional McLean breakfast would involve cinnamon roles or coffee cake or biscuits. However, by the time we got the house clean on Wednesday night it was after 11 pm and we were ready for bed. JoAnn anticipated our exhaustion and with the outdoor temperatures already hovering at 90 degrees she decided we could do waffles. My first clue of her wisdom was when I got up about 4 am to see if the kids were here that the recipe book was out and opened to waffles. I was already willing to wake everyone up and get breakfast going, but I controlled myself.
By 7:30 am I had JoAnn up to help with the kids and then took off for a short walk. When I got back the kitchen was beginning to bustle. JoAnn and Sally were cooking pancakes, children were finding seats, plastic children silverware and plates appeared, syrup began to appear everywhere - hands, table, chairs, hair, and so forth. I love the way little ones can get into their food. Charlotte thinks that she has to eat a little of what everyone has (sounds like Joshua). Sally was already helping cook and I could see bacon and waffles coming soon, with scrambled eggs close behind. We would have had sausage, but forgot to get it out of the freezer.
The smell of food clearly was motivating as dad appeared soon, grandpa Bradley not far behind and finally grandma Bradley. The children were fed and adults were ready to start. I didn't time it, but I suspect breakfast was about a 2 hour affair. We sat and ate and talked and laughed. And yes, we waddled.
JoAnn and Sally took a break to eat, relax, join the conversation, and then they began to clean the table. Dishes began to disappear, the dishwasher was open for quite some time - at least until it was filled and then dishes began to pile up on the counter. Not a problem as we could clean those later. However, grandpa Bradley is a sustained breakfast man and likes to take his time. He commented, "I would like some oatmeal, but it seems my dishes have disappeared.... This is the home of the fastest dish in the west" We all laughed and fixed him a little oatmeal to order.
The children and grandchildren were busy packing and loading the car for the next leg of their trip and the grandparents were still relaxing and after everyone left JoAnn and I got the dishwasher going.
We took a short break and went out for a couple of hours. If we had any common sense we would have crashed. When we got home I looked at what was left to wash and told JoAnn not to worry about it I would take care of it. She had to leave for the temple at 2:45 and hadn't started to get ready and it was closing on 2:00 pm. I worked while she showered and dressed and had all but a few things complete and in the drainer. I took a short break to do something else reminding her that I would finish the task shortly. I was only gone a few minutes, but when I walked back in the kitchen she had finished the last of the dishes.
She is a true McLean. Leave her alone in the kitchen with dirty dishes longer than 10 seconds and they don't stand a chance of staying dirty. When my brother and I were young we did the dishes in the evening. We were too young and inattentive of what was going on, but we never had to deal with the pots and pans of cooking dinner. Our mom always had them done before dinner was served. She was the holder of the Fastest Clean Kitchen in the West.
JoAnn has joined the exceptional ranks of the Fastest Clean Kitchen in the West. I stand in awe of her skills in the kitchen. And thankful for those skills.
One of the traditions we really enjoy when visiting them is going over to the other grandma and grandpa's home on Saturday morning for breakfast. The kids pile in the wagon and we walk the 150 or so yards to grandma and grandpa's house. We've come to call it "the Bradley breakfast," and what a feast it is. We always leave with our appetites sated and the walk back home is slower as we exhibit more of a waddle.
We anticipated this as our chance to reward those Bradley breakfast events with a McLean breakfast. Now a traditional McLean breakfast would involve cinnamon roles or coffee cake or biscuits. However, by the time we got the house clean on Wednesday night it was after 11 pm and we were ready for bed. JoAnn anticipated our exhaustion and with the outdoor temperatures already hovering at 90 degrees she decided we could do waffles. My first clue of her wisdom was when I got up about 4 am to see if the kids were here that the recipe book was out and opened to waffles. I was already willing to wake everyone up and get breakfast going, but I controlled myself.
By 7:30 am I had JoAnn up to help with the kids and then took off for a short walk. When I got back the kitchen was beginning to bustle. JoAnn and Sally were cooking pancakes, children were finding seats, plastic children silverware and plates appeared, syrup began to appear everywhere - hands, table, chairs, hair, and so forth. I love the way little ones can get into their food. Charlotte thinks that she has to eat a little of what everyone has (sounds like Joshua). Sally was already helping cook and I could see bacon and waffles coming soon, with scrambled eggs close behind. We would have had sausage, but forgot to get it out of the freezer.
The smell of food clearly was motivating as dad appeared soon, grandpa Bradley not far behind and finally grandma Bradley. The children were fed and adults were ready to start. I didn't time it, but I suspect breakfast was about a 2 hour affair. We sat and ate and talked and laughed. And yes, we waddled.
JoAnn and Sally took a break to eat, relax, join the conversation, and then they began to clean the table. Dishes began to disappear, the dishwasher was open for quite some time - at least until it was filled and then dishes began to pile up on the counter. Not a problem as we could clean those later. However, grandpa Bradley is a sustained breakfast man and likes to take his time. He commented, "I would like some oatmeal, but it seems my dishes have disappeared.... This is the home of the fastest dish in the west" We all laughed and fixed him a little oatmeal to order.
 |
| Even as a young mother (1972) she was well on her way to being the Fastest Clean Kitchen in the West. |
We took a short break and went out for a couple of hours. If we had any common sense we would have crashed. When we got home I looked at what was left to wash and told JoAnn not to worry about it I would take care of it. She had to leave for the temple at 2:45 and hadn't started to get ready and it was closing on 2:00 pm. I worked while she showered and dressed and had all but a few things complete and in the drainer. I took a short break to do something else reminding her that I would finish the task shortly. I was only gone a few minutes, but when I walked back in the kitchen she had finished the last of the dishes.
She is a true McLean. Leave her alone in the kitchen with dirty dishes longer than 10 seconds and they don't stand a chance of staying dirty. When my brother and I were young we did the dishes in the evening. We were too young and inattentive of what was going on, but we never had to deal with the pots and pans of cooking dinner. Our mom always had them done before dinner was served. She was the holder of the Fastest Clean Kitchen in the West.
JoAnn has joined the exceptional ranks of the Fastest Clean Kitchen in the West. I stand in awe of her skills in the kitchen. And thankful for those skills.
Thursday, May 26, 2011
Love at First Sight
One of the wonderful experiences of having grandchildren, especially young ones, but even teenagers, is watching and receiving their love. About 4:30 am this morning we had the Bradley family show up for a short sleepover on their way to San Diego. We are still a destination (we like that in Las Vegas), but we've also become a waypoint as our children head to youngest daughter's new home in San Diego. At least we usually get to spend a night, or a morning in this case, with grandchildren, and enjoy the whole family.
The Bradley's brought 3 young ones with them. I don't even begin to guess ages any more, but none of them have started school yet, so loving grandma and grandpa is still very special. And when they come to town we get lots of hugs and then are asked, "Where are the toys?"
This morning I rescued the 2 youngest about 5:30 so the adults could sleep a bit longer. These 2 had slept all the way from Idaho and felt like they didn't need any more. If I left them alone I'm sure no one else would have gotten much more sleep. We started with a movie on my iPad, followed by a box of toys. I even taught them how to tickle grandma's feet (she didn't wake up for anything). We had a great time rolling a ball back and forth to each other. Love was expressed in being together, playing together, and having lots of fun.
Later as all of the adults were up and we were moving towards breakfast middle child noticed our big screen TV (they don't have one, but the other grandparents do as well as at least one of his aunts, so he knows what it is). What I didn't know was his infatuation with the big screen. He ran over and before I could catch him he spread his arms, placed both hands on the screen, and gave it a kiss! It was love at first sight, albeit, a one way love. And no, we never turned it on, but he let us know what was important in his realm.
This morning I rescued the 2 youngest about 5:30 so the adults could sleep a bit longer. These 2 had slept all the way from Idaho and felt like they didn't need any more. If I left them alone I'm sure no one else would have gotten much more sleep. We started with a movie on my iPad, followed by a box of toys. I even taught them how to tickle grandma's feet (she didn't wake up for anything). We had a great time rolling a ball back and forth to each other. Love was expressed in being together, playing together, and having lots of fun.
Later as all of the adults were up and we were moving towards breakfast middle child noticed our big screen TV (they don't have one, but the other grandparents do as well as at least one of his aunts, so he knows what it is). What I didn't know was his infatuation with the big screen. He ran over and before I could catch him he spread his arms, placed both hands on the screen, and gave it a kiss! It was love at first sight, albeit, a one way love. And no, we never turned it on, but he let us know what was important in his realm.
Wednesday, May 25, 2011
Saturday, May 21, 2011
Cemetery Hopping
Last weekend JoAnn and I were in Modesto, California visiting my dad, his wife, and my sisters. We had a wonderful time with family and did lots of things together. As we got ready to leave I looked at the work related things I could take with me and placed each one aside as I packed on Thursday evening. In at the end I just took my iPad, which was perfect.
One of the things JoAnn and I wanted to do was see local cemeteries where our family are buried. On Saturday JoAnn and I went out the Lakewood Memorial Cemetery in Empire. My grandparents are buried there along with JoAnn's parents. It's probably been 30 years since I was at the cemetery and seen my grandparents site. I had never been to JoAnn's parents site. It's been a long time since she was there. We had to go to the office to find their grave site.
On Monday we drove up to Dixon, CA, not far from Davis, CA and stopped at the Silveyville Cemetery where a number of JoAnn's mother's family are interred. The secretary at the cemetery was so helpful. They keep all of their records on cards that are individually typed. In fact they had an old fashioned manual typewriter of the kind that JoAnn and I learned to type on in the early 1960s. I haven't seen one of those for years - especially in an office. They had a computer too.
As I stated, the secretary was incredibly helpful. Each 3 x 5 card had detailed information on the front and the location the back that listed the individual and individuals who were buried adjacent to the person's card. As JoAnn looked at the back of the cards she found additional people that she had heard her mother talk about, or had met at some point during her childhood. What turned out to be a search for a few people turned out to be a search for many people. The secretary photocopied all of the cards for us, located all of the gravestones on a map and sent us out, but not before offering to have someone help us. Fortunately while this was going on I went out and walked around and got the lay of the land. It was, by today's standards, a small cemetery. We found and photographed all of the gravestones.
It was fun to spend a day together doing family history. Now we have work to do at home to fit the names we found to the family. It made a great weekend with our family even more memorable.
One of the things JoAnn and I wanted to do was see local cemeteries where our family are buried. On Saturday JoAnn and I went out the Lakewood Memorial Cemetery in Empire. My grandparents are buried there along with JoAnn's parents. It's probably been 30 years since I was at the cemetery and seen my grandparents site. I had never been to JoAnn's parents site. It's been a long time since she was there. We had to go to the office to find their grave site.
On Monday we drove up to Dixon, CA, not far from Davis, CA and stopped at the Silveyville Cemetery where a number of JoAnn's mother's family are interred. The secretary at the cemetery was so helpful. They keep all of their records on cards that are individually typed. In fact they had an old fashioned manual typewriter of the kind that JoAnn and I learned to type on in the early 1960s. I haven't seen one of those for years - especially in an office. They had a computer too.
As I stated, the secretary was incredibly helpful. Each 3 x 5 card had detailed information on the front and the location the back that listed the individual and individuals who were buried adjacent to the person's card. As JoAnn looked at the back of the cards she found additional people that she had heard her mother talk about, or had met at some point during her childhood. What turned out to be a search for a few people turned out to be a search for many people. The secretary photocopied all of the cards for us, located all of the gravestones on a map and sent us out, but not before offering to have someone help us. Fortunately while this was going on I went out and walked around and got the lay of the land. It was, by today's standards, a small cemetery. We found and photographed all of the gravestones.
It was fun to spend a day together doing family history. Now we have work to do at home to fit the names we found to the family. It made a great weekend with our family even more memorable.
Tuesday, May 17, 2011
Tuesday, May 10, 2011
Sort of Wordless Wednesday, More on Mothers
This photo contains 4 mothers, 2 grandmothers, and 1 great grandmother. Who would have thought . . .
Tuesday, May 3, 2011
My Work is Finished Here!
I've heard some dreaded comments before, but on Friday evening my oldest son casually stated, "My work is done here." What does that mean, you ask? I did ask and his response was, "I just beat your score in Bejeweled 2." Well he should have, I didn't see my iPad almost the whole time he was here. It was bad enough that on Friday evening he beat my high score - let me emphasize that it was MY high score he beat. He doesn't know how hard I had to work to stay ahead of JoAnn's high score. Yet on Sunday, just before we took him down to his hotel he casually mentioned that he had a new high score and had doubled my high score. That's like insult to injury. It's okay to show dad up, but twice in one weekend. We won't mention that he can climb higher than I can because his legs are longer - but at least he didn't make an issue of it. I'm thinking about hiding my iPad in the future. I can only take so much abuse, especially with me delicate ego. Watch out Tim, you never know when I'll sneak up and steal that high score - but then again, don't hold your breath.
And no, I won't erase those high scores. I want mine to show when I finally beat Tim. However, I fear that JoAnn will have high scores long before I will.
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