For Mhari and Bethany...

Here are those Randall sisters, Mhari....all sassy if you will. And Bethany, I have lots of stories about Grandma, just not enough time to tell them.



Pearl, Alta, Bertha, Rial Jr, Little Wayne and Grandma and Grandpa Randall, about 1946~ish or so, right after the war, and right before the sisters all got married.

I was fortunate to know all the people in this picture too. Grandpa and Grandma used to babysit me on Wednesdays when I was a baby so mom could go to Relief Society, back when it was on the week days. Grandpa always said he used to let me run around nekkid in the back yard, so as to prevent diaper rash you know. I'm sure Grandma put a stop to it when she found out.

The other memory of my Great-Grandma Randall is that she always used to bake bread in old Tree Top Apple Juice Cans. Back in the day it didn't come concentrated, but in cans. I always thought bread was supposed to be round. Come to find out, it was square most of the time.

The Fourth O'Joyce ergh, July

Aunt Jeanne mentioned on her picture filled 4th O' July post that they tried to call me on my birthday. Well, I wasn't home....I was at the Ranch. We were havin' a Randall Round-up with the Porters, High Mater and Pater Familus, Uncle Big James and Uncle Dil and his new Woman Amiee (who, BTW, is a nice and pretty lady.)

In years past there was no phone at the Ranch, or TV. Just electricity, a flush toilet and some fold out couches. It's the way Joan and I rough it....no really, it is!

So imagine my horror, when we got cell phone reception in the house!! And imagine my shock when I went into the family room and there was a TV and a VCR/DVD set up on the sideboard!! HELLO People it's the Ranch, no TV necessary because there is the great outdoors and wide open spaces! I don't even know what to say past that.

But we did have a fun time. The neighbor's dog Snickers kept coming over to hang out with us. He was a hungry dog and ate whatever we threw at him. He was also looking for loves. I wanted to take him home actually.

Here are some lovely snaps of our weekend...and if you're wondering we were having so much fun (and watching Wonder Woman on the TV we ran out of time for the Pinata!!)



Our attempt at a family picture. Note to self, always buy Old Navy flag shirts 2 sizes too big....thank you.



The Greater family picture....I guess it proves we all were there.



All the children...looking sort of the same way, sort of.



The kids on the wagon wheel couch with Uncle James



Grandma and James.

And perhaps my favorite picture of all times? The Messy Maxwell...



There you have it, we made it there and back. It was a fun weekend, but then again, the Ranch and the Porters are always a good combination. And if you want to know, we didn't do the sparklers either, I have them, you all are invited to come if you feel the need to burn something up...safely of course. :)

An Update from the Western Front

Again, I find that I have not contributed to this blogoverse in a week or so. Many apologies all around, but let me tell you, I've been tired.

Marie and here clan came over the weekend. We were having so much fun I forgot about you all. Ok, that sounds really bad, but come on! Friday we went to Bandiler, the National Park a few spits from our house and crawled all over real live Indian ruins. We also spent time identifying box elder bugs. "Look, it's a box elder bug!"

McKay, Maxwell and Meredith were also very busy in our backyard building a fort on the top of the mountain in our backyard. Really it's just a small hill, but Joseph rigged up a rope for them to go up and down on....Yo-del-ley-he-hooo, you would have thought it was the real Matterhorn in Switzerland by the amount of fun Maxwell was having with it.

Saturday we cruised on down to Santa Fe to the Children's museum, and also the good Mexican food Marie needed to wake up her Pennsylvania taste buds. I asked her if she tried the habenero salsa. She said no. I think that stuff is like drinking kool-aid -- the good kind, not the creepy religious cult kind. Oh, if you are ever in Santa Fe, you must go to Bumble Bee's. If you need me to come with you, I will totally sacrifice for you, because I love you that much.

Also while at Bumble Bees I bought a pinata for my birthday. Yes, I am turning Plenty-Nine +7 this year and I wanted a pinata, because I've never had one before. What says birthday fun more than whacking at a paper and glue creature with candy guts? We're also buying some Indian fireworks too -- buy one get one free in Pojo this week! I don't know if Grandma McKay would be happy about supporting the seed of Lehi in such a way, I just call it contributing to the local economy....stimulate that!

Oh, and then there is also the fact that Sweet Baby James has totally reverted to his newborn sleeping habits. Needless to say I am again sporting my 'night of the living dead' look and it's none too attractive. Good thing we have this eternal marriage thing going for us -- you are stuck with me and all my morning glory dear! And if you thought waking up at 12:30 in the AM for a feed is fun, you'd be wrong.

So, that's been our week. We're also heading out for a Randall Round Up at the Ranch tomorrow. Dad and his trusty tri-pod are going to try and take a family picture too. Heaven help us and pray that everyone will look at the camera at the same time.

The End.

Mr Potato Head Soup

Not only does fall mean I can use my oven again, it also means I cook again. What do we eat in the summer you ask? Things that do not require cooking that's what. But anyway, I made a big pot of Grandma Randall's potato soup the other night. The thing about potato soup is that it makes REALLY good left overs. It also reminds me of the Ranch, Grandma and Grandpa Randall and all the crazy times with the cousins....

3-4 lbs potatoes. If you use russetts, peel them, if you use reds or golds, leave the skins on.
1/2 lb ham or bacon
1 chopped onion
1, 15 oz can evaporated milk
1 can of corn
salt & pepper to taste
1/2 bunch Italian flat leaf parsely rough chopped (optional)

Method:
Fill a soup pot about 2/3 of the way full, about 5 or so cups. Add some salt to the water and bring to a boil. When the water is boiling, add the potatoes and cook till done. When the potatoes are done, add the milk and corn. In a seperate pan, sautee the onion and ham/bacon till the onions are translucent and starting to brown and the ham/bacon is slightly brown but not crispy. If you are using bacon, you might also want to drain off some of the fat at this point. Add the onions and meat to the potatoes and stir. Boil for about 15 more mins and season to taste. Right before serving add the parsely if you want it. Serve with crusty bread or rolls. It's also nice with some cheese on top!