Olivia in Dress-up Shoes

Holiday "White Trash" Recipe

'Tis the season for White trash. For those that haven't experienced it, where have you been??? It's the salty-sweet, yummy holiday stress buster. It all started in 2000 when I moved here and was working "in the black building" with Peggy. She gave baggies of it for Christmas and I had no idea what it was. I threw it in my bag and left work to go home to California. I remember trying some somewhere around Seligman and continued through Kingman until the quart sized bag was empty. Fast forward to 7 years later; I'm married with a 2 year old daughter and I make it every year in double batches. The neighbors get some, friends get tins of it, family in California and Wisconsin get a tin mailed to them with their presents. If we have any holiday parties or get togethers, there are baskets of it around.
There are several ways to enjoy white trash. The traditional way, just pick up a handful and eat whatever you get. Some prefer eating the Chex first...(Me) Others prefer leaving the peanuts for the end..(Rob) For Christmas, I like to use the red and green M&M's, but you can use the regular kind. Enjoy! and watch out, it may become a new holiday tradition for you, too!!

White Trash


5 cups Cherrios
5 cups Corn Chex
10 oz mini pretzels
2 cups salted cocktail peanuts
1 lb M&M's
2 bags white chocolate chips
3 Tbs vegetable oil

Melt the white chocolate chips with the oil slowly in the microwave (stirring frequently) Pour over all of the stuff (I use a huge bowl) and gently mix around. Lay wax paper all over your counter and dump it all around to "set". After about 15 minutes or so, it's usually ready to put in tins or baggies.

Enjoying Scottsdale

Here are some pictures of Olivia in front of the house we stayed at in Scottsdale. The weather was so perfect this weekend. Olivia and I stayed busy walking near the golf course, playing outside and shopping, while Daddy tiled inside. This morning we went for an early walk on a path and I saw a dog off of a leash up ahead. It was just wandering around, sniffing the ground. There were some people around just frozen, holding their dogs. I finally realized it was a coyote! I swear, it looked like it just came back from the groomer! I guess if you live in the Valley, it's no big deal; just like if I see an elk at Buffalo Park, it's no big deal.....wait, who am I kidding, I'm from the beach, it is a big deal to me still!

Olivia's First Trip to the Beauty Salon

I got my hair cut this weekend and I took Olivia with to get a little trim. I had no idea what she would do, so it was kind of an experiment. I guess I forgot that she is MY kid; so why wouldn't she want to be pampered at a beauty salon?
She sat there in the lobby between us, and read Self magazine and smelled some shampoo they had for sale (just like mommy.) My stylist called us back and she followed her right to the chair and climbed right in! She wore the cape and sat there perfectly still. She even got it blow dried a little. The whole thing took about 5 minutes and we stood there snapping pictures like idiots! Nobody could believe she just turned 2! BTW, it was complementary (for what they charge, it better be!)

Chris and Nick

My cousin and Godson and his cousin, Chris and Nick stopped by on their way to Chicago from San Diego. They are so funny pulling up in our driveway in Ann's old Hyundai with tinted windows and fancy wheels. It's about 40 degrees and they are in Quicksilver t-shirts and shorts. They said they brought their own blankets for sleeping and they dragged in a faded Padres comforter. It's hard to remember they are men now. They are on their way to a new life in The Windy City. Rob joked that they'd get pulled over at some point and Bryan just e-mailed that they did in Oklahoma City. I guess Chris even got put in the back of the police car while they searched his car. The cop was really nice and let them go....can you say Profiling!!!

Something to think about........

something so very eloquent...and so very appropriate.

A Message by George Carlin:

The paradox of our time in history is that we have taller buildings but shorter tempers, wider Freeways, but narrower viewpoints. We spend more, but have less, we buy more, but enjoy less. We have bigger houses and smaller families, more conveniences, but less time. We have more degrees but less sense, more knowledge, but less judgment, more experts, yet more problems, more medicine, but less wellness.

We drink too much, smoke too much, spend too recklessly, laugh too little, drive too fast, get too angry, stay up too late, get up too tired, read too little, watch TV too much, and pray too seldom.

We have multiplied our possessions, but reduced our values. We talk too much, love too seldom, and hate too often.

We've learned how to make a living, but not a life. We've added years to life not life to years. We've been all the way to the moon and back, but have trouble crossing the street to meet a new neighbor. We conquered outer space but not inner space. We've done larger things, but not better things.

We've cleaned up the air, but polluted the soul. We've conquered the atom, but not our prejudice. We write more, but learn less. We plan more, but accomplish less. We've learned to rush, but not to wait. We build more computers to hold more information, to produce more copies than ever, but we communicate less and less.

These are the times of fast foods and slow digestion, big men and small character, steep profits and shallow relationships. These are the days of two incomes but more divorce, fancier houses, but broken homes. These are days of quick trips, disposable diapers, throwaway morality, one night stands, overweight bodies, and pills that do everything from cheer, to quiet, to kill. It is a time when there is much in the showroom window and nothing in the stockroom. A time when technology can bring this letter to you, and a time when you can choose either to share this insight, or just hit delete....

The Girl Cousins-Olivia and Rachel

Trick or Treat?

On Halloween night, I took Olivia trick or treating along with Julie, Lila and Maggie, our friends from across the street. She was a poodle, and Lila and Maggie were Eyore and Piglet. They were all so cute! Daddy gave Olivia a small flashlight to carry and she felt like such a big girl. We just went to a few of the people we knew nearby, but Olivia could have kept going all night. She's didn't really know what the candy was but she couldn't wait to show Daddy what she got.

Halloween "Boo Bash"

On Halloween afternoon, the the three of us went to the "Boo Bash" at the Flagstaff Athletic Club. It was a fun little carnival type thing with games and activities for the kids. We met the Nicholson's there and we all had fun listening to Chuck Cheesman sing and socializing with all of our friends.